My wife and I visited the battlefield in September of 2016. It was something I always wanted to do. The experience there was very moving and you could almost feel the chaos there.
Actually what Custer was trying to do is capture the old men, women and children to use as hostages. It was a tactic he had used before. The problem was he could not find a place to ford the river. He was noticed by the warriors pressing their attack on Reno and they pivoted and went after Custer.
That tactic would of work a on a smaller village but I just think the village at the Little Big Horn was just to big for it to work, regardless the military books say. The problem that he could not find a place to ford the river will that down to a luck of recon and i don't think that Custer thought the Village was as bit as everyone was saying. And in hindsight Gen Custer should of recalled and waited of both Benteen and the mule train before he attacked, he would had much better chance if he had hole regiment and keep the high ground. or pick them of as run in the open and charge of like headless chicken so to speak off. And as for he note to Benteen it was so badly written that any good military office worth is salt would look at the situation they arrived in and say i can not obey this order.
From what I understand that several have said if Custer and his men kept coming and crossed they probably would have had a better chance of getting the them to stand down. I have saw another video that claims Custer was shot in the chest down by the river and his men picked him up and retreated.
Daniella Stuart Custer made so many damn mistakes. One his guys were exhausted and didn’t sleep after traveling for two days. Two first thing they found was the pony heard of Indians. Estimate around 20,000 if he would have attacked the horses he would of won. Indians with no mobility is a disaster
This a trip I've been meaning to do for 25 years now. Gral. Custer has always been my favorite US history hero. Thanks for this educational great video.
You'd make a great teacher..so clear and concise in your story telling. You make it very interesting and I made it all the way to the end...so many thanks !
So glad to hear that! History is so interesting, if you can hear it like a story. I actually am a teacher, but just haven't worked as one for a while. :)
I’ve watched many accounts of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. I really like this one as it lays out the scene very plainly and succinctly. Great job here. Thanx..
There are a slew of videos explaining Custer's last stand but none so clear and precise as yours. Good job and because of that the site is on my bucket list.
Custer was actually killed at the top of the hill around where the memorial is today, not where his marker is. As for his "burial" at West Point, the recovery expedition found a jumbled pile of human and horse bones scattered on the hillside. They just took a guess as to which were Custer's and returned a few bones to West Point to represent him for burial. Great job on this video! I love your enthusiasm! Da da da da da da da- CHARGE! 😁
the "hero" was shot before crossing the river by his brother Tiny Tom by mistake. The soldiers pick Custer up, and running to the hill where there never was a Last Stand All them where massacred for the incompetence of Custer in less than 30min.
Hey guys so enjoyed the simplicity, yet much informative video. Thanks for the tourism tips as well. I’ve never been but I’am planning to go there this year or next year. Again this has been a very enjoyable video.
Just visited the battlefield last week. Been wanting to go since i was a kid! Saw your video after you originally posted it, and thought about it while i was there. It helped me understand the battle better. Best Wishes!
Wow, thank you! It means a lot that this video was helpful to you. I would love to go back and spend more time there. I am so glad that you were able to fulfill that dream from childhood. Thanks again!
It's sprawling fascinating and spooky. Never leave trails to examine markers in high grass area unless you are wearing snake boots. I found Weir Point especially dangerous but if you're protected it's worth the trip.
To be honest, this is the first time I have seen the battle explained and described by a woman. You have a good understanding of the event and the players and you went through it well. Thanks!
Agree with comment about trying to visit Bighorn, but being British I don't think I will be able to. So this makes your video invaluable to us. Seeing the actual battlefield and having salient parts pointed out is so much better than trying to follow lines on a map. Thank you very much for all your efforts.
No commander could be expected to win a battle when 7/12s of his command stay out of the fight when within the sound of the gun fire...despite orders to the contrary.
Jeff Lopes Here's my gripe -- the green square connoting the western visitor center is very distracting and confusing. Of course, in '76 there was no such center. There must be good maps showing (1) where the native village was located, (2) the route where Custer stopped and split his men into three divisions and pressed on toward the village, (3) where Reno retreated to the trees, (4) where Benteen was located if and when he got the scribbled message from Custer to " bring packs -- be quick" (5) a mention of why Benteen did not advance toward Custer's location. Was it because he didn't know where it was? All he would have needed to do was head in the direction of rifle smoke and shooting, clearly visible in the air though 5 miles away. How many men did Benteen have in his division? Was it only 400? Clearly not enough to bolster Custer's dwindling troop of 200 plus. Benteen took his time and was shocked at what he found at the "hill" from far enough away that the warriors did not engage Benteen. The reason they did not persue Benteen was (1) they had no idea how many soldiers there were, (2) the chiefs concluded it would not be worth the loss of lives of the young warriors. This is only conjecture on my part, but it makes the most logical sense. This whole event in 1876 will live in infamy and will be studied yet and open for more debate and conjecture into the future. Yes,, there are "experts" , scholars, student amateurs, all with their own ideas -- some preposterous, some based on facts (if facts can be proven enough to make the argument stand) and many questions nobody alive today has answers for. I still say Custer had it coming to him. He thought himself and his mighty 7th invincible, especially against a premative and inferior foe as "indians".
just back from here last week, a lot bigger than I thought, lots of good info, some driving and a little driving, do your research before going, and it all comes alive
Thanks for making a complex site and battle more digestible. Still don’t understand why they shot the horses, their only means of escape as a barricade, rather than stacking the dead. They had to know they’d eventually run out of ammunition.
Hello guys, my relative was actually killed on last stand hill. Im sure you saw the marker. Lt. A.E. Smith of Company E. I was fortunate enough to actually ride my horse on the battlefield during the Indian memorial. I was able to explore and get a whole new perspective on the battle.
Wow, that is really cool! Thanks so much for sharing. It is always great to be able to connect events in history with people living now. Being able to experience the battlefield on horseback must have been one of those moments when you can really get a true perspective on a historical event that helps you to relate to the men who fought there. This is such a great battlefield to visit, and we definitely learned so much more by being there in person, than we ever had in school. Thanks for sharing about your relative!
To Wander Freely Not cool for A.E. Smith, but cool for Greg to get a chance to ride the battlefield on horse back where his reletive once bravely fought, what a thrill!
Really? A white woman speaking about something she knows nothing about? All of this is false the Cheyennes had 18 suicide warriors, it was all calculated~ don't look to the Sioux. Let me ask you this...why is it that the Cheyenne women stuck Al's in both of his ears? Because they wanted him to listen in the Afterlife. Why? Because he made a promise to the Cheyennes to Never Kill another Cheyenne. Why the women? Because this filthy person was too unclean for the dog soldiers to touch. The saying around the fort goes like this: (repeat in your mind) the "Siouxs got the glory the crows got the land and the Cheyennes did the fighting." Time to get this right. For real. It was said among the Holy men to not mention it for 100 years. This was so that our children's children could survive otherwise it was certain death. Sitting Bull joined the wild west show with Buffalo bill (the person involved in the mass destruction of the buffalo). A disgrace. So now you know the rest of the story. Look it up it was in new York times in 2004 Google it. The old ones said: "The battle took as long as it takes for a hungry man to eat his dinner."
To further clarify, the one small detachment of troops led by Captain Weir that left Captain Benteen's defensive position did so AGAINST orders. They tried to get Captain Benteen to bring everyone which Captain Benteen refused. I believe Captain Benteen knew that they were hopelessly outnumbered and their only chance to live was to dig fighting positions on top of the hill and fight from the high ground.
Further to that Benteen was not in command and not able to give Weir any approval when asked. Reno was in command.. When Benteen reached Reno, Reno told Benteen to halt and stay with him. Benteen had to obey as Reno was a Major and 2nd in command to Custer. Benteen was senior Captain.
Benteen was not in command. Reno was and Benteen could not approve Weirs request even if he agreed. It was Major Reno 2nd in command to Custer who had the authority and was in command. To many blame Benteen. Also Weir could have been shot on the spot for refusing to obey a command on the battlefield. He should have been court Martial. Reno was correct in denying permission as it turned out with Weir getting a mile before realizing he had no hope. 20 minutes earlier Weir would have been wiped out himself. What then?
@@abwm2365 Benteen was given a clear order from the overall field commander, Custer. It was to "come on, be quick, bring packs". That order overrode any "order" from Reno, who panicked and was the first one out of the timber, left wounded behind and had no covering force for his retreat. Benteen should have obeyed his order from Custer. The pack train had fallen behind with the spare ammo, so Benteen could have simply told Reno to wait for the pack train while he went to Custer's aid, as ordered. Benteen had at this point not engaged any warriors and his men were well armed. Benteen is one of the real villains of this battle.
@@abwm2365 Weir acted while Reno and Benteen stood around in indecision and confusion. They heard firing and Weir was at that point the only officer with the sense to follow classic military rules, to "move to the sound of the firing". I give Weir credit for showing some sense while the cowardly Reno and the insubordinate Benteen sat on their hands. No one can say for sure what would have happened if the rest of the soldiers had tried to aid Custer.
The great part about this battle site is that it remains pretty much how it was on that date. It hasn't been swallowed up by developers. My family and I have been there twice, and my son went back a couple of times after he grew up.
Spent a summer in Garryowen, Montanta interning at the Custer Battlefield Museum. Very familiar with this battle. Can never learn enough about it. I'm really interested especially in the Calhoun Coulee/Calhoun Hill collapse.
@@lddcavalry No, all went wrong when Reno retreated from the timber down on the valley floor; that was "the key to the disaster" at the Little Bighorn.
I think the idea that Reno (after his command had suffered Serious loses And been routed and had probably lost a lot of mounts as well) and Benteen could have protected the packs and hospital AND attack the indians with a strong enough force to "save" Custer is laughable. They REALLY would have lost everything.. They were smart enough to dig in and Maintain a Defensive Perimeter....which would have been very hard to do on the move. It was 5 MILES to Custer's position...they would have just gotten themselves bogged down and trapped at a different perhaps less defensible position further along the ridge and whoever they left to guard the field hospital would have been wiped out. They made exactly the right decision
Try looking at the actual numbers. Reno had lost about 40 men, most in the panicky retreat that Reno himself led. Benteen had about 125 men with him and an additional 120 men guarding the pack train, none of whom had encountered a single warrior. So that's at least 260-270 men fit for duty. They couldn't at least try to come to Custer and his 210 men's aid, as ordered in writing??? Only thing laughable is your comments.
@@howardwhite1507 "Concise and accurate summation", my ass! Up until Reno made his foolish, deadly retreat from the protection of the timber on the valley floor, his battalion had lost no more than 3 - 4 men. Conversely, when he retreated out of the woods, and across the river (with its six-foot high banks), then up the eastern bluffs (with their steep and narrow draws), and to what is now known as Reno HIll, Major Marcus Reno lost nearly half the men in his command. Any other officer, with any amount of sense, would have stayed put right there in the timber. The timber, a heavily -wooded copse next to the river and just south of the Indian village, was the best protected area on the entire battlefield. Once Reno and his men entered it, the Sioux were hard put to get at the soldiers. At one point, warriors tried to set the woods on fire in order to get to Reno's men, but their attempt failed because the foliage would not catch fire. Instead of retreating like a frightened child, Reno should have ordered his men to dig in, find a tree, find a rock, hunker down, and fight it out. Only an absolute fool, or a complete mad man, would retreat from an excellent defensive position when surrounded by a horde of bellicose Indian warriors. Because Reno retreated, he was no longer able to support Custer's battalion. Had Reno stayed fighting in the timber, his battalion could have continued acting as an excellent deterrence by keeping the warriors occupied while Custer, and/or even Benteen, entered into the melee. But since Reno did retreat, and since his battalion received such a violent thrashing because of that retreat, they were no longer of any use to anyone. For all intents and purposes, Major Marcus Reno lost the Battle of the Little Bighorn. I don't know what the hell this fool, 'manuelkong', is thinking - I suppose he thinks Major Reno just got "routed", and that's it. Well, it wasn't like that. First of all, Reno was likely drunk when he initiated his attack upon the village, and the "routing" was caused by his own ineptness. Secondally, Reno did not charge the village like Custer ordered, and expected him, to do. Third, Reno "assumed" Custer was going to support him from the rear, but when Reno didn't see Custer's battalion behind him when he was engaging the village, he assumed Custer abandoned him (again, Major Reno was drunk). Custer absolutely supported Reno (why the hell would he not?), but his support was coming in from the north. Custer was doubtless hoping Reno would have charged the village, but since that didn't happen, Custer was just hoping Reno's battalion would act as a deterrent for him and Benteen. When Reno's men were fleeing from the protection of the timber, Custer's men took pressure off of Reno's battered battalion by opening fire at the north end of the Indian village. Now hearing there was another threat to their village from the north, the warriors quit their assault on Reno's men and concentrated all their forces upon Custer. By the time the warriors began their attack on Custer's battalion, Reno and his men were done - they had thrown in the towel. Reno's nonsensical, foolheaded, and ludicrous retreat rendered his battalion incapable and inept. By a different token, the retreat boosted the morale of the Natives ten-fold. With no sign yet of Benteen anywhere, and with Reno now enfeebled and powerless, the fate of Custer and his 5 companies was sealed. Once again, before Major Reno retreated from the cover and concealment of the timber he had lost very few men - maybe 3 or 4. Be that as it may, after he retreated to Reno Hill, Major Reno could account for 50 men killed, wounded, or missing. On the face of it, Reno was scared shitless, he was drunk, and he panicked. Custer was not expecting this from his second-in-command. Like most any combat officer of that time, had Reno just taken up a strong defensive posture in the timber, on the valley floor, the results of the Battle of the Little Bighorn likely would have been a lot different, indeed. P.S. Manuelkong doesn't know his ass from his elbow.
@@Eadbhard fucking idiots think they have a clue.... Reno did not have superior numbers or fire support. He did not have volume of fire advantage at short range. His men were more mounted infantry than actual Calvary. Their strenght was a long range battle line with clear fields of fire. They did not bring lances or sabers... a close contact engagement with superior numbers was suicide. Hiding in the woods is a false senseof security. Reno was outflanked and forced into retreat, it was almost a rout... The fact that his badly mauled force was able to stabilize their position on Reno ridge tells the whole story. None of Custers seperated units were of sufficient size to hold against the enemy elements they faced... Custer dudnt have the manpower to fight the battle he fought. Reno and Benteen were not the manin charge, it was not their plan. Their fate was not theirs to hold. Reno and Benteen were in deep trouble until relief areived. At close quarters the army was outmanned, and outgunned... At close quarters, the henrys and other weapons the warriors had were a better choice than a single action revolver or heavy single shot carbine. Staying on the initial firing line meant being flanked and quick death. Hiding in the creek bottom meant no coordinated action or Mutual fire support, it meant each man died individually hunted down one by one. The only advantage of hiding in the creek bottom was a slow death instead of a quick death. Yes the retreat to Reno Hill was damn near a route. They were lucky to make it and they were lucky to hold when they got there. Without Benteens arrival,Reno would have followed Custer to hell. Benteen would have had to abandom Reno to attempt to go to Cusyers aid. Benteen did not have enough men to do everything he was tasked with. Anybody that thinks otherwise is a damm fool. Custer took chances in the civil war that payed off. But he had nearby lines of frendly forces to retreat to if things went wrong. Custer fucked upand his men died.... End of fucking story... Youall miss the point that the warriors were very mobile and adaptive. They made up for lack of command structure with flexiblity and rapid response. And yest, they were communicating with each other fairly well... Custer could outmaneuver in Infantry force in the Civil War, but his Horse Soldiers could not outmaneuver a Plains Warrior. Custer had some tactical advantages but he did not use them properly. Custer should have been buried face down in an unmarked grave underneath the fucking shithouse. Reno and Benteen were not perfect, but it was not their battle plan that failed. Cusyer was spread too thin, everywhere..... If Benteen had gone charging blundly after Custer, everyone would have sied.... Now go fuck yourselves
@@howardwhite1507 Listen, you so forth and so on, for some reason you seem to think Reno and his men were getting the almighty hell beat out of them after they "charged" the Indian camp in the valley of the Little Bighorn. They were not. When Reno initially charged the village, he suffered exactly one casualty. Then, from the time he formed his skirmish lines, up until the time he and his men withdrew to the timber, Reno might have lost 3 more men, one of them being Bloody Knife, the scout. In brief, in his charge against the southern end of the massive Indian village, Major Reno lost a total of four men. Four men! Not half of his command, not 25, not 50 men, but four, four casualties. Can your infantile brain not comprehend that? Hiding in the woods is a false sense of security, huh? Well, that false sense of security contained a dry creek bed, large boulders, dense fir trees, huge cottonwoods with thick trunks, fallen logs, and tall grasses and ferns. False sense of security, eh? If that were true, why were none of Reno's men killed while in the timber? Why did the Sioux try to set the woods on fire if Reno and his men were hiding in a place that offered them only a false sense of security? Why did one of Reno's white scouts proclaim, "What kind of damn fool move is this?", after Reno ordered a retreat out of the timber? Here's one truth - Native warriors, by nature, have a strong aversion to attacking any enemy who is well-armed and well-protected. It's not because the Native is afraid, it's because he instinctually tries to preserve his life and the lives of his tribe members. As such, the Native warrior will usually only attack his enemies when he knows the advantage is clearly on his side. Even though a mass of warriors might outnumber a handful of Bluecoats, if those Bluecoats are well-protected and ready to fight to the end, the Indians will be particularly judicious, or they won't fight at all. Conversely, if the Bluecoats are fleeing, the warriors will go after them like it was a buffalo hunt, regardless of their numbers. "Reno's men were more mounted infantry than actual cavalry"? WTF?! WTF does that mean? What, did Reno train his men to be mounted fugging infantry? What, was Reno's battalion not in the Seventh U.S. Cavalry? Maybe the entire 7th Cavalry was not actual cavalry, maybe they were the U.S. Seventh Dragoons, and they just called themselves "Cavalry" for shits and giggles. Is that correct? So, Reno did not have superior numbers or fire support, and his battalion's strength was a "long range battle line with clear fields of fire", huh? Wait, did you not say his men were more "mounted infantry?" Seems to me infantry outfits would be accustomed to fighting in ranges where the fields of fire aren't entirely clear. Insofar as clear fields of fire go, that would be any fighting units strength, would it not? Did you just get off the fuggin' school bus, dim-wit? Let me tell you something, throughout the history of Anglo-Indian warfare on the Plains there were more than a few battles where a small number of whites stood their ground against a vast horde of Native warriors. How did they do it? They hunkered down, dug in, took protective cover, and fought like men. The Battle of Beecher Island is one example of this. The worst possible thing to do, when surrounded by bellicose Native warriors, was to abandon your fortifications and run from them. That's an old time-worn adage from experienced frontiersmen and Indian fighters. Reno was not forced to retreat, you ass. A lucky Sioux sharpshooter pegged Bloody Knife with a bullet, and when the scout's head exploded all over Reno, the Major shit his pants and completely, absolutely lost it. He ordered his men to mount and dismount several times within the course of a few minutes, and when he called for a retreat not everyone heard it, but Reno didn't give a curse because he was the first one retreating. What followed was one of the most ignominious, ill-advised, and deadliest retreats in American history. There was no method, no organization, no order, nor control; it was every man for himself, and devil take the unlucky. In his unwise, drunk-addled, frightened retreat, Major Marcus Reno killed nearly half his men; and, to all intents and purposes, lost the Battle of the Little Bighorn. That Reno's mauled battalion was able to stable itself atop Reno Hill does not tell the whole story. WTF story does it tell? Odds are, had they stayed in the timber, the battalion wouldn't be mauled, and the warriors in the village would be trying to fight two forces of Bluecoats instead of one; and the bigger Bluecoat force to the north (Custer) was slowly closing in on the warriors' families. "Stabilize their position on Reno Hill?" Well, Major Reno certainly played no part in that, and the only reason the troopers on Reno Hill were able to stabilize a position was because of Custer. Custer's men engaged the village in the north in order to take pressure off of Reno. Once word spread that another Bluecoat force was attacking the village downriver, the Native warriors quit Reno and went after Custer. At the Little Bighorn, Custer used a maneuver called envelopment. Envelopment, if orchestrated correctly, is a highly effective tactic that works well when attacking Indian villages. General George Crook used it, Colonel Ranald MacKenzie used it, as did General Nelson Miles, and did Custer. Envelopment requires a commander to split his command into 2 or 3 separate battalions. When attacking a village, one battalion initiates the offensive by charging the camp and keeping the warriors within occupied. While that is happening, another battalion sweeps in and attacks the village from a different angle. Then, as the Indian camp is in a state of chaos and confusion, a third battalion storms in and assaults the village from yet another side of the village - preferably where the non combatants are. Envelopment is a tactic that usually assures victory, but it will fail if the separate battalions do not keep within mutual supporting distance of each other. If that happens, the opposing force can, and will, decimate each separate battalion piecemeal. Major Reno was ordered to charge the village; as such, Custer move his battalion north because Reno would be charging from the south. However, much to Custer's probable dismay, Reno halted his charge and formed a skirmish line. Custer likely had the idea to meet Reno's charge from the north, but once Reno halted his command, it placed both battalions out of mutual support of each other. Fortunately for Custer, Reno withdrew to the timber which meant he could still support Custer by acting as a diversion. Custer could still move in for an attack, achieve surprise, and the Natives would then be fighting two forces instead of one. For all of that, history tells us all what happened. Reno retreated, got many of his men killed, escaped to a hilltop, and for the rest of the battle, he and his men were essentially ineffectual. As for Captain Benteen, he was never in a position to support his commander. Given his dislike for Custer, one wonders if Benteen did not purposely plan that. "Benteen and Reno were in deep trouble until relief arrived?" Fuggin' idiot, do you have a clue? The entire Indian camp dispersed well before the Terry/Gibbin column arrived at the Little Bighorn. "Custer had some tactical advantages but he did not use them?" Oh, yeah? What were they, and why did he not use them? Were they cavalry advantages or "mounted infantry" advantages, ha, ha, ha. Well, the hell with this. I'm spending way too much time writing a comment to an ignorant douchebag. Custer lost the battle because of ill luck, unfortunate situations, aberrant circumstances, and his two subordinates, and your dumb ass just can't accept that as truth. Say all you want about Custer, but when it came to battle and warfare, he was in his element. Obviously you have never read such things about him, because you're a biased schmuck. Major Marcus Reno, as an officer, was a mediocrity. At the Little Bighorn, he was drunk, he panicked, he was scared, and he went practically nutso. On the night of the battle, Reno purportedly wanted everyone to "pack up some equipment and mules, leave the wounded, and escape with their lives". He was doubtless thinking the same thoughts after Bloody Knife's brain exploded all over his face. Major Reno was what Custer had for a second-in-command. As for Captain Benteen, he just didn't care. As for you, you're just another anti-Custer moron who thinks he knows more than he really does. Here's some sound advice for halfwits like you: "The less you know, the more you'll always suspect".
To clarify the message, the messenger Custer sent did not speak English. The message which was written by the regimental adjutant Lt. Cooke read "Benteen. Come On. Big Village. Be quick. Bring Packs.P.S. Bring packs. W.W. Cooke" Captain Benteen was escorting the pack train which was being pulled by slower mules. Some of his men interpreted the message as leave the mule train and bring ammo packs as quickly as possible. However Captain Benteen chose to believe the message meant bring the pack train so he stayed with the mules. There is a lot of controversy as to Captain Benteens decision. Did he hang Custer out to dry, the two men hated one another vehemently. Or was is a fog of war situation, the messenger was unable to clarify what Custer's intentions were. Lastly when Captain Benteen hooked up with Major Reno's command, Major Reno was combat ineffective. He was in deep shock and was disoriented. Captain Benteen had to assume command of what was left of Reno's mean and fight defensive engagement from on top of the hill. If it were not for Captain Benteen's quick assessment of the situation and taking command Reno's element would have been slaughtered, than Benteen's men would have been next.
The message was vague. It did not tell Benteen where to come and in fact was 3 phased. 1. Big Village, 2 Come quick, 3 bring packs. As it stood after sending the message Custer headed North so even if Benteen waited for the packs or even rode on without them, he had no idea where Custer was and Custer was moving at a gallop away. If Benteen had of seen Keogh and Calhoun in trouble which by timing he certainly would have, he of course would have ridden to them so again he would be accused of breaking Custers command in the note. Benteen said at the time and at the Court of Inquiry that Custer had not told him he intended to divide the command again so when Benteen came upon Reno and saw and heard the battle and Renos troops in full retreat across the river, he in fact thought it was Custer and the full command. He stated that if he had of arrived 10 min earlier and saw the fight with Reno in skirmish firing at the village, he would have crossed the river and joined him as he had no idea Custer had separated and thought Reno was in fact the tail or rear of the command and Custer was in the village. Also remember Benteen spoke to 2 messengers from Custer. The 1st was Sgt Knipe sent back to hurry the packs by Tom Custer. He ran into Benteen and told Benteen Custer had the Indians on the run and was kicking butt. Benteen sent him on to the pack train. When Martin rived with his message he told benteen they had caught the Indians asleep and they were skedaddling. Martins poor English made him mis interpret Custer saying they had caught the Indians napping. So as far as Benteen knew from 2 messengers, was that the Indians were running, and that they were whipping them. So again Benteen was not aware of any problem or urgency.
my understanding was that Benteen was pinned down and fighting a pitched battle with the indians who pursued the remainder of Reno's men who had retreated to him. he was unable to come to Custers aid for that reason
@Mactrip100 ok that makes sense, for me then the question turns on whether Benteen plus renos remnants would have been wiped out as well had they gone to Custers aid.
@Mactrip100 Another angle as to whether they would have all been slaughtered if Benteen did ride out to Custer was the number of indians. Ive seen estimates from 1500 to 7000. Given that Custer was enveloped and wiped out fairly quickly it may well have been a suicide mission rather than a rescue. although as you say benteen might have made a difference, hard to say now.
No the shooting was in fact heard by Benteen. Read the Reno Inquiry. Benteen gave evidence he heard firing BUT did not hear the 2 volleys spoken of. Many others also denied hearing Volleys. The times show that the firing was not Custer at all and would have been either The white horse skirmish set up near Ford B which the Indians confirmed, or would have been the 1st assault on Company C on the slopes of Keogh and Calhoun Hill. At the time you speak of when they heard the firing Benteen had just arrived at Reno Hill. At that time Custer was riding along the river towards Cemetery ridge area and was intent on finding a Ford to cross. Custer engaged no Indians until Cemetery Ridge 30 minutes later when unable to find a Ford. His only engagement was on Last stand hill when he dismounted. If you look properly then you will see that when Weir arrived at Weir point it was then they saw dust on Last Stand Hill. That was a good 40 minutes after Benteen arrived at Reno Hill. So u cant have it both ways. You say Benteen stopped at Reno Hill and say he ignored Custer being attacked then say Benteen sat 40 minutes and then Weir rode of and 10 minutes later reached Weir point and saw the final battle. Which is it? And you forget in the meantime Keogh and Calhoun also fought a pitched battle for 15 minutes so tell me . Which shooting would you like to say Benteen ignored? By the wa y. Weir didn't see Custer's last fight. He saw Keogh and Calhoun being wiped out. It was when Godfrey and Benteen and Reno etc started arriving at Weir Point 15 minutes after Weir arrived there that they saw the dust and the Indians firing on the ground. Go look at the official time lines of who was where at what times and what was happening. Benteen did not say he heard no firing at all. The volley fire spoken of was not Custer it was way before. Probably C company firing volley while in skirmish lines which we know Keogh and Calhoun set up. Custer never had a skirmish line at any time he was hit by Suicide boys on Cemetery ridge and rode up to LSH. The whole time from when he left Reno until LSH he stayed mounted as did his company. You cant fire volleys while mounted. I suggest Strategy of Defeat by Fred Wagner. Its a good start. You may learn a lot reading it.
The natives actually practiced survival of the fittest. If a stronger tribe wanted youf hunting grounds, they took it. They were WARriors. They did not live in peace or they would not have had great warriors. The white man was a stronger tribe and beat them as was he way back then. Custor was going after the women and children in the hopes of capturing them and preventing a war. This is why the two parties were separated. One group was to keep the natives occupied while the other tried to capture those who didn't fight.
I apologise but that was a time for me to be kept there , I by no means will not say nothing about your trip there . I hope your spirit has been touched and I hope peace be with you all your day's.......
Nicely delivered basic review for a very complex and mysterious battle, especially the events leading up to it. I have read a number of detailed books and studied many of the facts and individuals in Custer's command. Still fascinated with different perspectives and reviews as you have done and taken the time to share your experiences. Interesting, the last stand hill was a slaughter and over in ~10 minutes. Some even fled to Deep Revine where they were cut down. Many mistakes which can be partly due to the fact that the soldiers and horses were worn out, tired, and hungry from an all night and previous day march. Average age ~22. ~65% were foreign born from Europe and needed a job so joined the army. Many were in poor health as well.
Hi, Bob! Thank you for sharing your insight! It is a fascinating battle, and seeing the actual battlefield was a real treat. Seeing the physical space really helps to put the picture together, and the park employees to a great job too. Thanks again!
The 7th Cavalry had an average day's march on June 24th. They camped that afternoon; then, at around 8:00 pm, the regiment began a night march that lasted 4 - 5 hours. It was not an all night march. Once the night march was complete, the regiment found itself hidden in a small defile near the Crow's Nest, deep in the Wolf Mountains. Again, the regiment rested. In fact, Custer's initial plan was to rest his entire command at that spot all day, then attack the village at dawn the next day. Unfortunately, Custer had to change his plans once his scouts told him that, in all likelihood, wandering Sioux and Cheyenne hunting parties had spotted the regiment, and that he (Custer) should attack the village as soon as possible. Which he did. In short, the soldiers and horses of the 7th Cavalry were not so worn out that fatigue would have been an issue during the battle, let alone be called a "mistake". A good estimate based on historical evidence shows maybe 3 - 6 horses giving out on the day of the battle. Three to six horses out of the entire 7th Cavalry Regiment, that's all. To be sure, the horses in Custer's command were not as well rested as the Indians' ponies were; nevertheless, they would have been had Custer been able to carry out his original plan of resting his regiment and attacking the village at dawn. The men were hungry? Really? How do you know this? What, did they all run out of hardtack and rations? Did the supply train fall so far behind that the men couldn't get any food? According to you, hungry soldiers at the Little Bighorn was a mistake too, eh? Prove what you say with facts then maybe some of this crap you write will be believable.
Ó Ruairc M. Why make an issue out of this for this this nice video as if you were there? What are your facts? Every ride a horse? There are many opinions and speculation about the events. Your crap is no different than anyone else’s. Your reply was appreciated up to the point you attack me.
@@ramullen1 Issue is this - I speak truths and facts, and you speak opinions based upon what you think are facts. My "crap" is factual, most everyone else's crap is just that - crap.
@@Eadbhard You are forgetting it was a 15 mile trek in extreme heat from the Crows nest to the Big Horn valley over rough terrain. Those horses were hot and exhausted at the time of battle. So were the men.
Don't forget: Battle of te Rosebud against Gnl. Crook occured just 7 days before, about 30 or so miles to the south. The tribes here were already confident and alert. ruclips.net/video/suKOqWx6Dxw/видео.html
We (my wife) home-schooled our three kids they would have loved hearing this story the way you presented it. Your a natural. If you two decide someday to have children you will give your children a great education.
Thank you, that is very kind. I am actually a certified teacher. After Chris previewed this video for me before I published it, he said that students should be watching it to learn - ha ha, you two think alike. We would love to have children, but sadly it has not been possible for us. We still count our blessings and are grateful for what we have together. So glad you enjoyed the video!
I just knew you were a teacher, Jen. What grades did you teach? My pastor's wife is a teacher and she talks just like you in a sweet, calm, soothing voice. We had one child by birth and it almost killed me so we adopted a two year old girl. I was adopted so it was natural for me. It cost us nothing because she was past babyhood. Now between them they have 9 kids! If you would have told me that when they were teens I would have laughed hysterically! They are homeschooling in TN so I will tell them to let the kids see this video....that was a great idea!
You are so kind. I have taught high school and middle school and also done some adult classes. I am glad to hear you had a good experience with adoption, and so great that you now have 9 grandchildren!!! Thanks for all of your encouragement, it truly means so much to us.
there was three messages sent to benteen and reno sargeant foley was sent with the last message he was shot riding towards the reno position with the regimental guidon i think custer knew the end was near and didnt want the flag falling into their hands thats my take on it why send a message for reinforcements when it was all but over
Very nice and pleasant video. If a person really gets into it actually its a minority that think Custer blazed it out up on top-he was mortally wounded shot in the side of his chest among the first if not the first shot as they came down medicine tail coulee and reached the river. Chief John Grass did alot of the initial killing in the Custer part of the battle and witnessed Custer shot and he certainly was the "identifier" that spotted Custers body. Grass is virtually stricken from history and hidden because he mentioned about seeing the soldiers drinking whiskey which is politically incorrect to the whites to say that among other reasons. I have uploaded a couple videos on it. I may poke in the link but no desire to try to get hits just if someone is interested. after the battle the indians had a huge meeting in a circle at the top of the highest hilltop overlooking the scene. The three Chiefs there as drawn by another important indian were Sitting Bull, Gall and Grass so Grass was a top chief of the battle. Grass is the one that met with Custer and smoked the pipe in the black hills. He promised not to attack them again but he did, so they poked out his ears to help him hear better in the afterlife. Later the indians resented Grass since he was to agreeable to the whites sort of like an "uncle Tom" so they also censured him and he became lost to history but its there if you search it out. Other interesting points that Grass also pointed out before his death is that Gall and Crazy horse worked up as things were winding down many of them already killed.
WTF? When did Chief John Grass smoke a pipe in the Black Hills with Custer? More importantly, what was in the pipe you were smoking when you wrote this comment?!
Don't believe Custer and his staff ever advanced towards the village, think they remained at last stand hill to observe the battle and sent the rest of the columns toward the village, I don't think Custer would have charged with his brothers and nephews and the journalist.
Oh, no! Sorry I missed you! I would have loved to been able to meet you. We are already in Oklahoma! We move so fast! Just so you know, I haven't forgotten, I am working on workout videos and a diet post.
+To Wander Freely Thank you so much, I am looking forward to your diet and exercise advice! We just returned from SD and seeing MT Rushmore and I just told my husband on the way home, we need to go see the Custer battlefield maybe next weekend. I enjoyed your video, I think it will help me understand it more now when we go!
So glad to hear that - you will definitely enjoy the visit to the battlefield. Try to see one of the ranger talks if you can, it was really excellent. We love South Dakota and the Black Hills. We spent some time there last year and hope to get back to there some day. Best wishes on your travels!
The assumption that Reno and Benteen abandoned Custer to his fate due to personal dislike of Custer is bullshit. The military doesn't work that way. The officers under Custer were still friends and associates of Reno and Benteen.... Duty was taken seriously, men would commit suicide if thought to be cowards. Reno and Benteen were not cowards, both had good war records. Custer himself was the most political and least professional solder of the three.... if anyone let personal feelings interfere with professional conduct, it was Custer....
Six months after the battle, Major Reno tried to hit on another officer's wife while that officer was away. Reno got dismissed from the Army for this. Fortunately for him, President Hayes reduced the dismissal to 2 years. But, in 1879, Reno, who was fond of drink, got in a fight with one of his subordinates. He also played "peeping-tom" and spied through the bedroom window of the regimental commander's (General Sturgis) daughter. For these reasons and more, Reno was booted out of the Army again - for good, this time. As for Benteen, in 1887 that querulous officer was busted for being drunk and disorderly while on duty. They were going to boot him out too, but Benteen wisely decided to retire before this happened. By the way, it's been recorded that Major Reno once admitted to his former editor that he was drunk during the Battle of the Little Bighorn. All of this, but you think Custer was the "least professional of the three". You're an idiot, Howard White.
@@howardwhite1507 You're a dullard, and you don't know crap. Go do some more research about this topic. Until you do that, don't send me any more of your factless, idiotic comments
meh...Benteen rightly or wrongly supported Reno's retreat. Custer pushed too far north cutting is own lines of communication and any hope of mutual support. The Natives attack of the Right wing...(Calhoun and Keough end up cutting off any chance for a South Retreat by Custer. Custer still had mobility to escape to the North....all be it separated from Reno and Benteen. Yes I thought Benteen could maybe sent a company forward sooner to assess what was going on North (Northwest) of Weir point....maybe....allowing some relief to Calhoun hill from Native infiltration from that hill's south. This was always going to be numbers game. Custer's hesitation when we figured out he didn't have enough Troops to capture the Women and Children (the leverage he needed to end the battle with a Victory)....and waiting on cemetery ridge for 20 mins while waiting for Benteen was the delay the Natives needed to mount the attack with overwhelming numbers. Rejoining the Keough and Calhoun would basically mean failure of the Campaign as then Custer would being going from an Offensive to a Defensive posture. So he waited.....for more men to arrive on the field.....making himself and the Right wing (Keough and Calhoun) non mobile and ripe for Attack. He should have known better sooner.......and kept his lines of support open. It was only a matter of time until numbers of Natives was sufficient for an attack. The Noose tightened and the rest is history.
No, it was Major Reno's retreat that cut lines of communication and any hope of mutual support. Custer expected Reno to stay in the valley and keep the warriors busy while he maneuvered his battalion to the north. Had Reno stayed in the timber (which was the best protected place on the whole battlefield), both officers could have mutually supported each other by attacking the village from the south and north end. When Benteen's cantankerous ass finally arrived, Keogh - who was ordered to watch for him - would've told Benteen to take his battalion and strike the village at the middle. In such a scenario, the village would've found itself in utter chaos and turmoil; and it would have played out like this: The first group of Bluecoats, the group that initially attacked the village (Reno), would remain in the woods to the south. They would advance and consolidate with the other Bluecoats if necessary, but they are guarding the south. As for the other Bluecoats, one group (Custer) suddenly attacks from the north, threatening the women, children and families there. And yet another group of Bluecoats ( Benteen) now fires upon the village in the middle. Thus do the warriors who are defending the village fast discover they are now dealing with three separate fires in three separate directions, instead of just one fire from one direction. And one of those fires is threatening their women and children. Confusion reigns, Custer captures some women and children, as warriors try to fend off soldiers from his battalion, and also men from Reno's and Benteen's battalions who are now advancing. In the end, it is over because the Indians capitulate. Custer wins the battle. For all intent and purposes, Major Marcus Reno lost the Battle of the Little Bighorn when he retreated out of the timber, across the river, then up the bluffs. In that ill-advised retreat, he had almost 40% of his men killed. What is more, once Reno and his surviving men were finally in the bluffs overlooking the river, all the Indians were able to concentrate their efforts solely upon Custer's battalion. The Sioux and Cheyenne knew, by this time, that another group of soldiers were downriver. They knew this because Custer ordered some of his men to fire into the village from the Medicine Tail Coulee in order to take pressure off of Reno's beleaguered battalion. Having whipped Reno, the warriors' morale was sky high once they set their sights on Custer's sole battalion. Conversely, when Reno's men took cover in the trees after first charging the Indian camp, the Native women began preparing things in order to flee and scatter. The Natives knew that, had Reno's battalion stayed in the valley, they would have had little hope of winning the battle, so they were preparing to flee. However, after Major Reno gave the Indians a gift by running out of the woods, the Sioux and Cheyenne knew a victory could be had. Reno's retreat was the pivotal part of the battle that changed everything. Had he stayed in the valley, within the cover and concealment of the heavy foliage of the timber, the Battle of the Little Bighorn would have had a different ending indeed.
@@Eadbhard Reno was expecting to be reinforced by the weight of the Regiment....Which Custer's orders to him suggested. That didn't happen. He also correctly stopped short of the Village thus making sure his battalion wasn't wiped out in quick order. The Indians, who were masters of concealment and encroachment would have surrounded, massed and overwhelmed Reno's men from that same foliage. Remember that the troopers main advantage was their superior effective range of their single shot rifles. In close quarters they were worthless as Custer's battalion soon found out. Sure, Reno's actual chaotic retreat vice orderly may have cost him more men......but it didn't determine the outcome of the battle. Another point. Custer didn't need to send Benteen's Battalion on a scouting mission to cover Custer and Renos left flank or to look down the valley. A scouting party would have done just fine. Those orders to Benteen didn't allow his full battalion to support Reno at a critical time (real time mutal support).....or head north to stop Native infiltration at medicine tail coulee while Custer headed further north with too few men to finish the job with two of his own companies in rear guard. Furthermore....as I stated above....Custer allow his enemy to infiltrate at an obvious point BETWEEN his forces to the south...thus cutting off escape. I honestly think that had Custer kept his whole force together....they either would have been completely wiped out or if they could have retreated to a better defensive vantage point in mass...they might have kept them at bay. I'd argue that the only reason the Reno/Benteen defensive position worked was because the Indians had achieve a major blood lust after wiping out Custer...and the day was coming to an end.
@@wf4919 Before Reno charged the village, not a few of his men saw Custer on the eastern bluffs waving his hat at them. Custer was making it known that he was nearby. As well, the reason the Indians didn't finish off Reno's men entirely was because of Custer's support. Custer was moving surreptitiously, trying to gain the surprise, but since Reno absent-mindedly retreated from the cover of the woods, Custer was forced to take pressure off of him by having some of his men fire into the village. By doing that, he drew all the Indians in on him. Lastly, Reno was a smart enough officer to realize that Custer was doubtless trying to gain an advantage at some other part of the village. He even admitted this some years after the battle when he said, ..."since I did not see him (Custer), I could, and did, presume he was attempting to get at some other part of the village"...or some words to that effect. Here's the thing....from the time Reno first attacked the village, to the time he formed his skirmish lines, and up until the time he blindly retreated out of the cover from the timber, Reno had lost very few men. He lost Sergeant Miles O'Hara (the first soldier killed in the battle) in his initial attack, he had maybe one man killed on the skirmish lines, then Bloody Knife was killed whilst in the timber, but that's about it - minimal casualties. The timber, the trees along the river, was an excellent defensive spot, and Major Reno and his men could (should ) have remained there long enough for Custer and Benteen to enter into the fray. The Sioux warriors could not get to Reno's men while they were in the timber. Why do you think they tried to burn them out? The Sioux warriors hoped a fire would smoke Reno's men out into the open; as such, they tried to set the woods afire. Unfortunately for them, the foliage was too lush and green; it wouldn't catch fire. So the warriors were in a quandary. They didn't know what to do. Indian warriors, by nature, are loathe to engage an enemy who is well-armed and well-protected. In such a battle, the loss of life incurred amongst their fellow tribesmen is too great a risk. By moving his battalion into the timber, Reno unknowingly placed himself at an advantage. But, as fate would have it, Reno suddenly gave the Native warriors an inexplicable gift - he retreated. Once he heard the shout to retreat, one of Reno's white scouts was heard to say, "What kind of damn fool move is this?" And it was a damnably fool move. Reno had nearly all of his KIA's in that retreat. As any Indian fighter of this period well knew....you don't turn your back and run while fighting Indians. Reno did just that; and, as a result, he now had 35 - 40 soldiers dead. Because he made the foolish mistake of retreating, Reno was essentially out of the picture. His battalion could no longer support the battalion he initially accused of not supporting his own. At this point, even if he didn't know it yet, Custer could no longer rely upon any kind of support from the southern portion of the village. Had Reno maintained his position, the Indians would have had threats on 3 different fronts once Benteeen arrived. Then, if Custer started to go after the women and children, many of the warriors would have gone straight after him, thus leaving Reno's battalion to do whatever it took to help Custer along with his task. Benteen's reconnaissance to the left was wholly necessary. Custer had no chance to do a reconnaissance before the battle, so he sent Benteen out as a reconnaissance-in-force. Custer learned his lessons well while at the Washita. During the Battle of the Wasita, Custer rubbed out one village; however, after the battle, he discovered there were many other Indian camps along the Washita. In fact, there were more Indians gathered on the Washita than there were at the Little Bighorn. Custer just wanted to be sure there were no other tribes or Indian camps within the vicinity of the camp they were going to attack, that's all. He totally expected Captain Benteen to consolidate with the rest of the regiment once his scout to the left was completed. The reason Custer sent Benteen's entire battalion instead of just scouts is simple - he obviously wanted some firepower out there in case they pitched into anything. Besides, as I have mentioned, Custer totally expected Benteen to be present once the attack on the village began. Unfortunately, Benteeen dawdled, and his slow pace is well-documented. Even after he received Custer's urgent orders to be quick, Benteen still moved with no celerity. Lastly, had Reno stayed in the timber where he could have held out for a reasonably long time, Benteen would have had no need to stop and assist Reno's battered battalion - he could have gone straight to Custer. Reno would have never incurred the amount of casualties he suffered had he just stayed in the timber and not retreated. As the Indians noted, once Reno's men fled out of the timber, it became "like a buffalo hunt".
@@Eadbhard I'm not saying the way Reno retreated was bad. I"m saying even if he had stayed....he was effectively neutralized. The Indians had enough man power to turn Reno's flank and for a retreat into the woods. It was his only option given mounting Indian numbers to his rear. Had he waited even longer in the woods he would have been surrounded...that is not debatable. Cutting any form of retreat if he wasn't relieved by someone else. Maybe Reno could have held out long enough for Custer's feint or Benteen to arrive....but given the overwhelming numbers at least 5 to 1 it was only a matter of time. If not Reno...then Custer (as it happened on open terrain more well suited to longer range engagement of the accurate but single shot springfields). As we saw what happened (what we think happened) Once an offensively minded Calvary is neutralized demobilized and on the defensive.....tactically they are not worth much against an overwhelming enemy force. Reno's actions saved his battalion in the end. As we saw in the North with Custer.....the Indians moved to infiltrate to close the range ...than sprang assaults with overwhelming numbers causing breakdowns and disintegration of units (fight or flight human nature instinct). Reno's limited options ..given he was currently being surrounded by an overwhelming force with no sign of reinforcement from either Custer or Benteen....was to stay put in the woods, which was a better tactical defensive position than the prairie he had just retreated from...and hope reinforcements would come.....or to retreat in the only direction he could before being surrounded and in the general direction of last known mutual support. Reno's retreat from the woods was not orderly....more like chaos for which he has been rightly or wrongly shamed for. His lack of Leadership on Reno hill is also noted..probably given the shock of the retreat. But he his biggest error might have been to retreat sooner. Just my thought. Eveyone keeps trying to Pin the lost on the battle on Reno and to a lesser degree Benteen. Remember....Custer couldn't even keep mutual support between his wings let alone his battalions....as an offensively minded General he was. His failure to assess the gravity of the situation in real time and adjust his tactics and positioning accordingly led to his annihilation. Waiting for someone to arrive to help and not being in a position to support the right wing defensively shows how swiftly the Indian assault was.......and an underestimation of the precariousness of the situation. Reno on the other hand had at least assessed the situation for what it was and acted accordingly.
@@wf4919 Reno's battalion would not have been "effectively neutralized" had it stayed in the timber. As soon as the warriors of the village learned there were more Bluecoats downriver, they would have left Reno and his men in the woods in order to concentrate on the new threat to the north. What "effectively neutralized" Reno's battalion was the loss of 40 men killed. While discussing the Battle of the Little Bighorn, one has to stick with what is factual, and it is the facts that form the basis of any kind of hypothesis. So let's discuss the facts, shall we? That being said, I'm going to repeat some facts, because it seems to me you are oblivious to them, and would rather base all of your presumptions on guess and by gosh, your own opinions, and your own personal biases. FACT: In order to draw Reno and his men out of the woods, Sioux warriors tried to light the timber on fire. Why would they do this? They wanted to draw the soldiers out because it was too difficult to get at them when they (the soldiers) were hunkering down behind trees in the timber, that's why. You go on and on about tactics, and how Indians were "masters of concealment", and how the U.S. Cavalry is "neutralized demobilized" while on the defensive, with all your fancy 'Z' words, but you won't give in to the fact that the Indians had to resort to trying to burn the timber down in order to get at Reno's men. While on the topic, how do you account for this - throughout the course of the Indian Wars on the Great Plains, not a few times did a small detachment of well-covered, well-armed white men successfully fend themselves against hundreds upon hundreds of hostile Indian warriors. The Wagon Box fight, the Battle of Beecher Island, and the Battle of Adobe Walls, are just a few examples of this. What is more, renowned historian Robert Utley once wrote: "Indians fought as individuals, each pursuing his own aims and instincts, not as organized, disciplined, bodies obedient to the orders of a leader. Because of this style of combat, small disciplined teams of mediocre soldiers could hope, in favorable circumstances, to overwhelm large but undisciplined masses of individually superior warriors". (Assumption from fact): The timber was Reno's best course of action, Reno could have had held out in the timber for a long time, Reno and Custer could have offered each other mutual support had Reno but stayed in the timber. FACT: Reno suffered minimal casualties while in the timber. Bloody Knife, the scout, was shot and killed but - at that time - Bloody Knife, Major Reno, and a maybe a few others were not directly in the woods, they were on the edge of the timberline. Bloody Knife, more than likely, was but one of very few men killed in the timber. FACT: Reno suffered nearly 40 men killed in his retreat out of timber, across the river, and into the bluffs east of the river. FACT: Major Marcus Reno was drunk during the battle. Many soldiers' testimonies reported that Reno was drunk the entire time, but this could be taken with a grain of salt. However, years after the battle and long after he got kicked out of the Army, Reno confessed to his personal editor that he was drunk when he initially attacked the Indian village at the Little Bighorn. This would explain some of his decisions and behaviors that day. FACT: Custer sent Captain Yates' company to demonstrate at the Medicine Tail Coulee. At the Ford, Yates and his men fired into the northern end of the village. Yates' demonstration worked; it drew the Indians from Reno, but Reno was retreating and Benteen was dawdling, and Custer was soon in trouble. (Assumption from fact): Reno could have easily waited for Custer in the timber. He could have supported him (Custer) without retreating and losing 40 of his men. If such a scenario played out, the Indians would have found themselves trying to put out two fires instead of just one...and Benteen was coming also..three fires. And one of those fires (Custer) would soon be threatening the women and children. A then Lieutenant Edward Godfrey interviewed many Indians after the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Over the years, General Godfrey compiled a list of journals based upon these interviews, and in one of them, he wrote this: "The Indians say if Reno's position in the valley had been held, they would have been compelled to divide their strength for the different attacks, which would have caused confusion and apprehension, and prevented the concentration of every able-bodied warrior upon the battalion under Custer; that at the time of the discovery of Custer's advance to attack, the chiefs gave orders for the village to move, to break up; that at the time of Reno's retreat, this order was being carried out, but as soon as Reno's retreat was assured, the order was countermanded, and the squaws were compelled to return to the pony herds, that the order would not have been countermanded had Reno's forces remained fighting in the bottom".
Last stand hill is mislabeled. That is not where the fighting ended. A group broke off from last stand hill and made a run for it and were killed in a deep ravine.
They shot their horses, not just to make a wall, but to deny the enemy horses for future attacks on the other soldiers (they knew that the Indians would take them after their deaths). That’s desperation.
Can I Please Correct Custer Never Could See The Camp Because The Smoke From The Morning Camp Fires From The Camp Covered The Camp Like A Blanket And He Repeated To His Scouts I Dont See It The Scouts Told Custer Look Worms In The Grass On The Far Side Of The Camp There Were 20,000 Horses And Thats What The Scouts Were Using An Example Of Worms In The Grass Custer Never Could See The Camp If He Had He Would Maybe Waited For General Terry And Gibbon For Reinforcement Knowing That The Village Wasn't Going Run Away And Made a More Better Decision
You forget that Custer and his scouts rightfully assumed that the regiment was spotted by wandering hunting parties from the village. It was the morning of June 25th. The Terry/Gibbon column would not arrive at the Little Bighorn for another two days. What decision do you think Custer should have made? Wait for 2 days, knowing full well that 2000 warriors in the village were aware of his presence?
Daryl LeBeau Where Custer's body was found has been called "last stand hill" since July of 1876, the month after the battle, so semantics aside, the name has stuck. It was certainly the last stand for the 40 bodies found there, including Custer's.
@@bustedford It was a hill, a knoll - more like. This is evident in photos taken 3 years after the battle. In order to build the road and monument, they did have to cut into this knoll. Too, 150 years of ice, thaw, and erosion also shortened what used to be a prominent hill.
Remember there was not one person past weir point that survived.everything past weir point is from the indians.there are thousands of books written and all From Indian interviews.Reno and Bentsen never got past weir point.everything is from the indians interviews as to what happened at medicine tail coolee,Calhoun hill and the last stand hill. It is a great place to stop and close your eyes and imagine the battle.I live in Buffalo wyoming,originally from philly, and always stop when in the area. always stop when I am in the area
Really? A white woman speaking about something she knows nothing about? All of this is false the Cheyennes had 18 suicide warriors, it was all calculated~ don't look to the Sioux. Let me ask you this...why is it that the Cheyenne women stuck Al's in both of his ears? Because they wanted him to listen in the Afterlife. Why? Because he made a promise to the Cheyennes to Never Kill another Cheyenne. Why the women? Because this filthy person was too unclean for the dog soldiers to touch. The saying around the fort goes like this: (repeat in your mind) the "Siouxs got the glory the crows got the land and the Cheyennes did the fighting." Time to get this right. For real. It was said among the Holy men to not mention it for 100 years. This was so that our children's children could survive otherwise it was certain death. Sitting Bull joined the wild west show with Buffalo bill (the person involved in the mass destruction of the buffalo). A disgrace. So now you know the rest of the story. Look it up it was in new York times in 2004 Google it. The old ones said: "The battle took as long as it takes for a hungry man to eat his dinner."
The fact that Custer used women and children as hostages and human shields during his battles with Natives was despicable, in itself. That is something the United States now decries when other countries use this tactic during conflict. President Grant himself criticized Custer's reckless actions at Little Bighorn. But, he wasn't the only one at fault. Egos on the part of the generals helped the Calvary meet their demise. The Natives new the land and how to fight on the land. That was huge to their advantage. The United States and Native Indians had a treaty. An agreement the Indians would own the black hills area of the territory. But, when gold was discovered in those black hills, greed allowed the United States to dishonor this treaty. They allowed settlers to go into the land to get rich quick. Then, the U.S. government decided it was time to remove the Indians from their land. The natives were protecting what rightfully belonged to them. They were being invaded.
Do you even know how the Sioux came to "own" the Black HIlls?? By taking it by force from the tribes who were there already! The Crow and Arikara tribes, who the Sioux killed and drove off. Why do you think Custer had Crow and Arikara scouts??? Because they hated the Sioux, that's why. With good reason.
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An excellent explanation of the battle with the aid of the battlefield map. Concise and easy to follow.
Awesome introduction to the battle. A visit to this place is on my bucket list.
My wife and I visited the battlefield in September of 2016. It was something I always wanted to do. The experience there was very moving and you could almost feel the chaos there.
Actually what Custer was trying to do is capture the old men, women and children to use as hostages. It was a tactic he had used before. The problem was he could not find a place to ford the river. He was noticed by the warriors pressing their attack on Reno and they pivoted and went after Custer.
That tactic would of work a on a smaller village but I just think the village at the Little Big Horn was just to big for it to work, regardless the military books say. The problem that he could not find a place to ford the river will that down to a luck of recon and i don't think that Custer thought the Village was as bit as everyone was saying.
And in hindsight
Gen Custer should of recalled and waited of both Benteen and the mule train before he attacked, he would had much better chance if he had hole regiment and keep the high ground. or pick them of as run in the open and charge of like headless chicken so to speak off.
And as for he note to Benteen it was so badly written that any good military office worth is salt would look at the situation they arrived in and say i can not obey this order.
Not only that, Natives usually scattered, they picked the place and time to fight.
From what I understand that several have said if Custer and his men kept coming and crossed they probably would have had a better chance of getting the them to stand down. I have saw another video that claims Custer was shot in the chest down by the river and his men picked him up and retreated.
@victor soto i agree with you there
Daniella Stuart Custer made so many damn mistakes. One his guys were exhausted and didn’t sleep after traveling for two days. Two first thing they found was the pony heard of Indians. Estimate around 20,000 if he would have attacked the horses he would of won. Indians with no mobility is a disaster
I recommend a series of videos on you tube by Custer Apollo, very informative.
This a trip I've been meaning to do for 25 years now. Gral. Custer has always been my favorite US history hero. Thanks for this educational great video.
You'd make a great teacher..so clear and concise in your story telling. You make it very interesting and I made it all the way to the end...so many thanks !
So glad to hear that! History is so interesting, if you can hear it like a story. I actually am a teacher, but just haven't worked as one for a while. :)
Wow, great description, as clear and precise as i've ever heard it told. Good job!
Thanks for sharing. We were there last month and found the battlefield both fascinating from a historical viewpoint, and very moving.
Thanks for upload been obsessed with this battle since I was a 7 year old kid. Loved seeing actual battlefield and maybe one day visit myself
I’ve watched many accounts of the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
I really like this one as it lays out the scene very plainly and succinctly.
Great job here. Thanx..
There are a slew of videos explaining Custer's last stand but none so clear and precise as yours. Good job and because of that the site is on my bucket list.
You need to watch CusterApollo's videos.
I could listen to you all day !!!
Thankyou so much. That was very kind and considerate of you all to do this. I love history an i defiantly have to get out there to see it. God bless.
Custer was actually killed at the top of the hill around where the memorial is today, not where his marker is. As for his "burial" at West Point, the recovery expedition found a jumbled pile of human and horse bones scattered on the hillside. They just took a guess as to which were Custer's and returned a few bones to West Point to represent him for burial. Great job on this video! I love your enthusiasm! Da da da da da da da- CHARGE! 😁
the "hero" was shot before crossing the river by his brother Tiny Tom by mistake. The soldiers pick Custer up, and running to the hill where there never was a Last Stand
All them where massacred for the incompetence of Custer in less than 30min.
@@Antonio-j1g So I guess you witnessed this yourself?
@@Antonio-j1g Thanks for the info Einstein.
Hey guys so enjoyed the simplicity, yet much informative video. Thanks for the tourism tips as well. I’ve never been but I’am planning to go there this year or next year. Again this has been a very enjoyable video.
Great job my history friends. Hope to see another.
Just visited the battlefield last week. Been wanting to go since i was a kid! Saw your video after you originally posted it, and thought about it while i was there. It helped me understand the battle better.
Best Wishes!
Wow, thank you! It means a lot that this video was helpful to you. I would love to go back and spend more time there. I am so glad that you were able to fulfill that dream from childhood. Thanks again!
It's sprawling fascinating and spooky. Never leave trails to examine markers in high grass area unless you are wearing snake boots. I found Weir Point especially dangerous but if you're protected it's worth the trip.
Been there and loved it..nothing like being where history happened
To be honest, this is the first time I have seen the battle explained and described by a woman. You have a good understanding of the event and the players and you went through it well. Thanks!
Very well done, clearly explained.
Thank you for showing this. Excellent
Man I wish my wife was that excited about history!
Agree with comment about trying to visit Bighorn, but being British I don't think I will be able to. So this makes your video invaluable to us. Seeing the actual battlefield and having salient parts pointed out is so much better than trying to follow lines on a map. Thank you very much for all your efforts.
No commander could be expected to win a battle when 7/12s of his command stay out of the fight when within the sound of the gun fire...despite orders to the contrary.
Richard Schaefer stupid....
@@howardwhite1507 Anyone who denies facts is stupid - that means you, stupid.
You no smart.... custer was in charge, the results of the battle are his to own..... he spread his forces too thin....
End of story....
@@howardwhite1507 ... Re-Read my post 25 times and then take your nap...A long one would be best.
@@howardwhite1507he spread his unit before even seeing village. That said his captain and major also made mistakes
Excellent history, you made it very clear to me!
Jeff Lopes Here's my gripe -- the green square connoting the western visitor center is very distracting and confusing. Of course, in '76 there was no such center. There must be good maps showing (1) where the native village was located, (2) the route where Custer stopped and split his men into three divisions and pressed on toward the village, (3) where Reno retreated to the trees, (4) where Benteen was located if and when he got the scribbled message from Custer to " bring packs -- be quick" (5) a mention of why Benteen did not advance toward Custer's location. Was it because he didn't know where it was? All he would have needed to do was head in the direction of rifle smoke and shooting, clearly visible in the air though 5 miles away. How many men did Benteen have in his division? Was it only 400? Clearly not enough to bolster Custer's dwindling troop of 200 plus. Benteen took his time and was shocked at what he found at the "hill" from far enough away that the warriors did not engage Benteen. The reason they did not persue Benteen was (1) they had no idea how many soldiers there were, (2) the chiefs concluded it would not be worth the loss of lives of the young warriors. This is only conjecture on my part, but it makes the most logical sense. This whole event in 1876 will live in infamy and will be studied yet and open for more debate and conjecture into the future. Yes,, there are "experts" , scholars, student amateurs, all with their own ideas -- some preposterous, some based on facts (if facts can be proven enough to make the argument stand) and many questions nobody alive today has answers for. I still say Custer had it coming to him. He thought himself and his mighty 7th invincible, especially against a premative and inferior foe as "indians".
just back from here last week, a lot bigger than I thought, lots of good info, some driving and a little driving, do your research before going, and it all comes alive
Thanks for making a complex site and battle more digestible. Still don’t understand why they shot the horses, their only means of escape as a barricade, rather than stacking the dead. They had to know they’d eventually run out of ammunition.
Very good - and a charming guide!
Hello guys, my relative was actually killed on last stand hill. Im sure you saw the marker. Lt. A.E. Smith of Company E. I was fortunate enough to actually ride my horse on the battlefield during the Indian memorial. I was able to explore and get a whole new perspective on the battle.
Wow, that is really cool! Thanks so much for sharing. It is always great to be able to connect events in history with people living now. Being able to experience the battlefield on horseback must have been one of those moments when you can really get a true perspective on a historical event that helps you to relate to the men who fought there. This is such a great battlefield to visit, and we definitely learned so much more by being there in person, than we ever had in school. Thanks for sharing about your relative!
To Wander Freely Not cool for A.E. Smith, but cool for Greg to get a chance to ride the battlefield on horse back where his reletive once bravely fought, what a thrill!
That's amazing!
Really? A white woman speaking about something she knows nothing about? All of this is false the Cheyennes had 18 suicide warriors, it was all calculated~ don't look to the Sioux. Let me ask you this...why is it that the Cheyenne women stuck Al's in both of his ears? Because they wanted him to listen in the Afterlife. Why? Because he made a promise to the Cheyennes to Never Kill another Cheyenne. Why the women? Because this filthy person was too unclean for the dog soldiers to touch. The saying around the fort goes like this: (repeat in your mind) the "Siouxs got the glory the crows got the land and the Cheyennes did the fighting." Time to get this right. For real. It was said among the Holy men to not mention it for 100 years. This was so that our children's children could survive otherwise it was certain death. Sitting Bull joined the wild west show with Buffalo bill (the person involved in the mass destruction of the buffalo). A disgrace.
So now you know the rest of the story. Look it up it was in new York times in 2004 Google it. The old ones said: "The battle took as long as it takes for a hungry man to eat his dinner."
@@Maheonehooestse-HolyFireMan Where is your video?
I can't understand why Custer's men fought in the open...why didn't they go to the visitors center instead?
Stop playing with your mom`s computer !
To further clarify, the one small detachment of troops led by Captain Weir that left Captain Benteen's defensive position did so AGAINST orders. They tried to get Captain Benteen to bring everyone which Captain Benteen refused. I believe Captain Benteen knew that they were hopelessly outnumbered and their only chance to live was to dig fighting positions on top of the hill and fight from the high ground.
Further to that Benteen was not in command and not able to give Weir any approval when asked. Reno was in command.. When Benteen reached Reno, Reno told Benteen to halt and stay with him. Benteen had to obey as Reno was a Major and 2nd in command to Custer. Benteen was senior Captain.
Benteen was not in command. Reno was and Benteen could not approve Weirs request even if he agreed. It was Major Reno 2nd in command to Custer who had the authority and was in command. To many blame Benteen. Also Weir could have been shot on the spot for refusing to obey a command on the battlefield. He should have been court Martial. Reno was correct in denying permission as it turned out with Weir getting a mile before realizing he had no hope. 20 minutes earlier
Weir would have been wiped out himself. What then?
@@abwm2365 Benteen was given a clear order from the overall field commander, Custer. It was to "come on, be quick, bring packs". That order overrode any "order" from Reno, who panicked and was the first one out of the timber, left wounded behind and had no covering force for his retreat. Benteen should have obeyed his order from Custer. The pack train had fallen behind with the spare ammo, so Benteen could have simply told Reno to wait for the pack train while he went to Custer's aid, as ordered. Benteen had at this point not engaged any warriors and his men were well armed. Benteen is one of the real villains of this battle.
@@abwm2365 Weir acted while Reno and Benteen stood around in indecision and confusion. They heard firing and Weir was at that point the only officer with the sense to follow classic military rules, to "move to the sound of the firing". I give Weir credit for showing some sense while the cowardly Reno and the insubordinate Benteen sat on their hands. No one can say for sure what would have happened if the rest of the soldiers had tried to aid Custer.
@@TWS-pd5dc absolutly ignorant... you do not understand tactics or command...
Thank you so much..what a great video and insight..hopefully we will get there some day
The great part about this battle site is that it remains pretty much how it was on that date. It hasn't been swallowed up by developers. My family and I have been there twice, and my son went back a couple of times after he grew up.
Pretty Awesome, thanks for that.
Spent a summer in Garryowen, Montanta interning at the Custer Battlefield Museum. Very familiar with this battle. Can never learn enough about it. I'm really interested especially in the Calhoun Coulee/Calhoun Hill collapse.
Wow, that would be a great experience! Thanks for sharing!
That's where it all went wrong and the key to the disaster .
@@lddcavalry No, all went wrong when Reno retreated from the timber down on the valley floor; that was "the key to the disaster" at the Little Bighorn.
@@Eadbhard 😂🤣 Libby Custer would have loved you. People interested in facts and reality, not so much.
@@Eadbhard So charging through 3 miles of the village teeming with hostile Indians with 130 men would have been a good idea? LMAO !
Thank you for this video. Enjoyed every minute of it.
So glad to hear that, Lori! We hope you get to add the battlefield to your list!
Great Analysis .
Thank you for the tour and history lesson.
You are so very welcome - glad you joined us!
Odd how whenever the Sioux and Cheyenne are "just going about their way of life" it's always on land belonging to other tribes.
that the way life is all over the world since the beginning of time.
I think the idea that Reno (after his command had suffered Serious loses And been routed and had probably lost a lot of mounts as well) and Benteen could have protected the packs and hospital AND attack the indians with a strong enough force to "save" Custer is laughable.
They REALLY would have lost everything..
They were smart enough to dig in and Maintain a Defensive Perimeter....which would have been very hard to do on the move.
It was 5 MILES to Custer's position...they would have just gotten themselves bogged down and trapped at a different perhaps less defensible position further along the ridge
and whoever they left to guard the field hospital would have been wiped out.
They made exactly the right decision
Thank you sir... that is a consise and accurate summation.
Try looking at the actual numbers. Reno had lost about 40 men, most in the panicky retreat that Reno himself led. Benteen had about 125 men with him and an additional 120 men guarding the pack train, none of whom had encountered a single warrior. So that's at least 260-270 men fit for duty. They couldn't at least try to come to Custer and his 210 men's aid, as ordered in writing??? Only thing laughable is your comments.
@@howardwhite1507 "Concise and accurate summation", my ass! Up until Reno made his foolish, deadly retreat from the protection of the timber on the valley floor, his battalion had lost no more than 3 - 4 men. Conversely, when he retreated out of the woods, and across the river (with its six-foot high banks), then up the eastern bluffs (with their steep and narrow draws), and to what is now known as Reno HIll, Major Marcus Reno lost nearly half the men in his command.
Any other officer, with any amount of sense, would have stayed put right there in the timber. The timber, a heavily -wooded copse next to the river and just south of the Indian village, was the best protected area on the entire battlefield. Once Reno and his men entered it, the Sioux were hard put to get at the soldiers. At one point, warriors tried to set the woods on fire in order to get to Reno's men, but their attempt failed because the foliage would not catch fire. Instead of retreating like a frightened child, Reno should have ordered his men to dig in, find a tree, find a rock, hunker down, and fight it out. Only an absolute fool, or a complete mad man, would retreat from an excellent defensive position when surrounded by a horde of bellicose Indian warriors.
Because Reno retreated, he was no longer able to support Custer's battalion. Had Reno stayed fighting in the timber, his battalion could have continued acting as an excellent deterrence by keeping the warriors occupied while Custer, and/or even Benteen, entered into the melee. But since Reno did retreat, and since his battalion received such a violent thrashing because of that retreat, they were no longer of any use to anyone. For all intents and purposes, Major Marcus Reno lost the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
I don't know what the hell this fool, 'manuelkong', is thinking - I suppose he thinks Major Reno just got "routed", and that's it. Well, it wasn't like that. First of all, Reno was likely drunk when he initiated his attack upon the village, and the "routing" was caused by his own ineptness.
Secondally, Reno did not charge the village like Custer ordered, and expected him, to do.
Third, Reno "assumed" Custer was going to support him from the rear, but when Reno didn't see Custer's battalion behind him when he was engaging the village, he assumed Custer abandoned him (again, Major Reno was drunk).
Custer absolutely supported Reno (why the hell would he not?), but his support was coming in from the north. Custer was doubtless hoping Reno would have charged the village, but since that didn't happen, Custer was just hoping Reno's battalion would act as a deterrent for him and Benteen.
When Reno's men were fleeing from the protection of the timber, Custer's men took pressure off of Reno's battered battalion by opening fire at the north end of the Indian village. Now hearing there was another threat to their village from the north, the warriors quit their assault on Reno's men and concentrated all their forces upon Custer.
By the time the warriors began their attack on Custer's battalion, Reno and his men were done - they had thrown in the towel. Reno's nonsensical, foolheaded, and ludicrous retreat rendered his battalion incapable and inept. By a different token, the retreat boosted the morale of the Natives ten-fold.
With no sign yet of Benteen anywhere, and with Reno now enfeebled and powerless, the fate of Custer and his 5 companies was sealed.
Once again, before Major Reno retreated from the cover and concealment of the timber he had lost very few men - maybe 3 or 4. Be that as it may, after he retreated to Reno Hill, Major Reno could account for 50 men killed, wounded, or missing. On the face of it, Reno was scared shitless, he was drunk, and he panicked. Custer was not expecting this from his second-in-command. Like most any combat officer of that time, had Reno just taken up a strong defensive posture in the timber, on the valley floor, the results of the Battle of the Little Bighorn likely would have been a lot different, indeed.
P.S. Manuelkong doesn't know his ass from his elbow.
@@Eadbhard fucking idiots think they have a clue....
Reno did not have superior numbers or fire support.
He did not have volume of fire advantage at short range.
His men were more mounted infantry than actual Calvary.
Their strenght was a long range battle line with clear fields of fire.
They did not bring lances or sabers... a close contact engagement with superior numbers was suicide.
Hiding in the woods is a false senseof security.
Reno was outflanked and forced into retreat, it was almost a rout...
The fact that his badly mauled force was able to stabilize their position on Reno ridge tells the whole story.
None of Custers seperated units were of sufficient size to hold against the enemy elements they faced...
Custer dudnt have the manpower to fight the battle he fought.
Reno and Benteen were not the manin charge, it was not their plan. Their fate was not theirs to hold.
Reno and Benteen were in deep trouble until relief areived.
At close quarters the army was outmanned, and outgunned...
At close quarters, the henrys and other weapons the warriors had were a better choice than a single action revolver or heavy single shot carbine.
Staying on the initial firing line meant being flanked and quick death.
Hiding in the creek bottom meant no coordinated action or Mutual fire support, it meant each man died individually hunted down one by one. The only advantage of hiding in the creek bottom was a slow death instead of a quick death. Yes the retreat to Reno Hill was damn near a route. They were lucky to make it and they were lucky to hold when they got there. Without Benteens arrival,Reno would have followed Custer to hell.
Benteen would have had to abandom Reno to attempt to go to Cusyers aid.
Benteen did not have enough men to do everything he was tasked with.
Anybody that thinks otherwise is a damm fool.
Custer took chances in the civil war that payed off. But he had nearby lines of frendly forces to retreat to if things went wrong.
Custer fucked upand his men died....
End of fucking story...
Youall miss the point that the warriors were very mobile and adaptive. They made up for lack of command structure with flexiblity and rapid response. And yest, they were communicating with each other fairly well...
Custer could outmaneuver in Infantry force in the Civil War, but his Horse Soldiers could not outmaneuver a Plains Warrior. Custer had some tactical advantages but he did not use them properly. Custer should have been buried face down in an unmarked grave underneath the fucking shithouse.
Reno and Benteen were not perfect, but it was not their battle plan that failed.
Cusyer was spread too thin, everywhere.....
If Benteen had gone charging blundly after Custer, everyone would have sied....
Now go fuck yourselves
@@howardwhite1507 Listen, you so forth and so on, for some reason you seem to think Reno and his men were getting the almighty hell beat out of them after they "charged" the Indian camp in the valley of the Little Bighorn. They were not. When Reno initially charged the village, he suffered exactly one casualty. Then, from the time he formed his skirmish lines, up until the time he and his men withdrew to the timber, Reno might have lost 3 more men, one of them being Bloody Knife, the scout. In brief, in his charge against the southern end of the massive Indian village, Major Reno lost a total of four men. Four men! Not half of his command, not 25, not 50 men, but four, four casualties. Can your infantile brain not comprehend that?
Hiding in the woods is a false sense of security, huh? Well, that false sense of security contained a dry creek bed, large boulders, dense fir trees, huge cottonwoods with thick trunks, fallen logs, and tall grasses and ferns. False sense of security, eh? If that were true, why were none of Reno's men killed while in the timber? Why did the Sioux try to set the woods on fire if Reno and his men were hiding in a place that offered them only a false sense of security? Why did one of Reno's white scouts proclaim, "What kind of damn fool move is this?", after Reno ordered a retreat out of the timber? Here's one truth - Native warriors, by nature, have a strong aversion to attacking any enemy who is well-armed and well-protected. It's not because the Native is afraid, it's because he instinctually tries to preserve his life and the lives of his tribe members. As such, the Native warrior will usually only attack his enemies when he knows the advantage is clearly on his side. Even though a mass of warriors might outnumber a handful of Bluecoats, if those Bluecoats are well-protected and ready to fight to the end, the Indians will be particularly judicious, or they won't fight at all. Conversely, if the Bluecoats are fleeing, the warriors will go after them like it was a buffalo hunt, regardless of their numbers.
"Reno's men were more mounted infantry than actual cavalry"? WTF?! WTF does that mean? What, did Reno train his men to be mounted fugging infantry? What, was Reno's battalion not in the Seventh U.S. Cavalry? Maybe the entire 7th Cavalry was not actual cavalry, maybe they were the U.S. Seventh Dragoons, and they just called themselves "Cavalry" for shits and giggles. Is that correct?
So, Reno did not have superior numbers or fire support, and his battalion's strength was a "long range battle line with clear fields of fire", huh? Wait, did you not say his men were more "mounted infantry?" Seems to me infantry outfits would be accustomed to fighting in ranges where the fields of fire aren't entirely clear. Insofar as clear fields of fire go, that would be any fighting units strength, would it not? Did you just get off the fuggin' school bus, dim-wit? Let me tell you something, throughout the history of Anglo-Indian warfare on the Plains there were more than a few battles where a small number of whites stood their ground against a vast horde of Native warriors. How did they do it? They hunkered down, dug in, took protective cover, and fought like men. The Battle of Beecher Island is one example of this. The worst possible thing to do, when surrounded by bellicose Native warriors, was to abandon your fortifications and run from them. That's an old time-worn adage from experienced frontiersmen and Indian fighters.
Reno was not forced to retreat, you ass. A lucky Sioux sharpshooter pegged Bloody Knife with a bullet, and when the scout's head exploded all over Reno, the Major shit his pants and completely, absolutely lost it. He ordered his men to mount and dismount several times within the course of a few minutes, and when he called for a retreat not everyone heard it, but Reno didn't give a curse because he was the first one retreating. What followed was one of the most ignominious, ill-advised, and deadliest retreats in American history. There was no method, no organization, no order, nor control; it was every man for himself, and devil take the unlucky. In his unwise, drunk-addled, frightened retreat, Major Marcus Reno killed nearly half his men; and, to all intents and purposes, lost the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
That Reno's mauled battalion was able to stable itself atop Reno Hill does not tell the whole story. WTF story does it tell? Odds are, had they stayed in the timber, the battalion wouldn't be mauled, and the warriors in the village would be trying to fight two forces of Bluecoats instead of one; and the bigger Bluecoat force to the north (Custer) was slowly closing in on the warriors' families. "Stabilize their position on Reno Hill?" Well, Major Reno certainly played no part in that, and the only reason the troopers on Reno Hill were able to stabilize a position was because of Custer. Custer's men engaged the village in the north in order to take pressure off of Reno. Once word spread that another Bluecoat force was attacking the village downriver, the Native warriors quit Reno and went after Custer.
At the Little Bighorn, Custer used a maneuver called envelopment. Envelopment, if orchestrated correctly, is a highly effective tactic that works well when attacking Indian villages. General George Crook used it, Colonel Ranald MacKenzie used it, as did General Nelson Miles, and did Custer. Envelopment requires a commander to split his command into 2 or 3 separate battalions. When attacking a village, one battalion initiates the offensive by charging the camp and keeping the warriors within occupied. While that is happening, another battalion sweeps in and attacks the village from a different angle. Then, as the Indian camp is in a state of chaos and confusion, a third battalion storms in and assaults the village from yet another side of the village - preferably where the non combatants are. Envelopment is a tactic that usually assures victory, but it will fail if the separate battalions do not keep within mutual supporting distance of each other. If that happens, the opposing force can, and will, decimate each separate battalion piecemeal.
Major Reno was ordered to charge the village; as such, Custer move his battalion north because Reno would be charging from the south. However, much to Custer's probable dismay, Reno halted his charge and formed a skirmish line. Custer likely had the idea to meet Reno's charge from the north, but once Reno halted his command, it placed both battalions out of mutual support of each other. Fortunately for Custer, Reno withdrew to the timber which meant he could still support Custer by acting as a diversion. Custer could still move in for an attack, achieve surprise, and the Natives would then be fighting two forces instead of one. For all of that, history tells us all what happened. Reno retreated, got many of his men killed, escaped to a hilltop, and for the rest of the battle, he and his men were essentially ineffectual. As for Captain Benteen, he was never in a position to support his commander. Given his dislike for Custer, one wonders if Benteen did not purposely plan that.
"Benteen and Reno were in deep trouble until relief arrived?" Fuggin' idiot, do you have a clue? The entire Indian camp dispersed well before the Terry/Gibbin column arrived at the Little Bighorn.
"Custer had some tactical advantages but he did not use them?" Oh, yeah? What were they, and why did he not use them? Were they cavalry advantages or "mounted infantry" advantages, ha, ha, ha.
Well, the hell with this. I'm spending way too much time writing a comment to an ignorant douchebag. Custer lost the battle because of ill luck, unfortunate situations, aberrant circumstances, and his two subordinates, and your dumb ass just can't accept that as truth. Say all you want about Custer, but when it came to battle and warfare, he was in his element. Obviously you have never read such things about him, because you're a biased schmuck. Major Marcus Reno, as an officer, was a mediocrity. At the Little Bighorn, he was drunk, he panicked, he was scared, and he went practically nutso. On the night of the battle, Reno purportedly wanted everyone to "pack up some equipment and mules, leave the wounded, and escape with their lives". He was doubtless thinking the same thoughts after Bloody Knife's brain exploded all over his face. Major Reno was what Custer had for a second-in-command. As for Captain Benteen, he just didn't care. As for you, you're just another anti-Custer moron who thinks he knows more than he really does. Here's some sound advice for halfwits like you: "The less you know, the more you'll always suspect".
Great video story. I thank you.
Great job..very interesting..
Where can I get a copy of that map?
At Little Bighorn, they sell them there and other cool stuff.
thank you... very clear
Well done!
Well Done! Entertaining&informative
To clarify the message, the messenger Custer sent did not speak English. The message which was written by the regimental adjutant Lt. Cooke read "Benteen. Come On. Big Village. Be quick. Bring Packs.P.S. Bring packs. W.W. Cooke" Captain Benteen was escorting the pack train which was being pulled by slower mules. Some of his men interpreted the message as leave the mule train and bring ammo packs as quickly as possible. However Captain Benteen chose to believe the message meant bring the pack train so he stayed with the mules. There is a lot of controversy as to Captain Benteens decision. Did he hang Custer out to dry, the two men hated one another vehemently. Or was is a fog of war situation, the messenger was unable to clarify what Custer's intentions were.
Lastly when Captain Benteen hooked up with Major Reno's command, Major Reno was combat ineffective. He was in deep shock and was disoriented. Captain Benteen had to assume command of what was left of Reno's mean and fight defensive engagement from on top of the hill. If it were not for Captain Benteen's quick assessment of the situation and taking command Reno's element would have been slaughtered, than Benteen's men would have been next.
The message was vague. It did not tell Benteen where to come and in fact was 3 phased. 1. Big Village, 2 Come quick, 3 bring packs. As it stood after sending the message Custer headed North so even if Benteen waited for the packs or even rode on without them, he had no idea where Custer was and Custer was moving at a gallop away. If Benteen had of seen Keogh and Calhoun in trouble which by timing he certainly would have, he of course would have ridden to them so again he would be accused of breaking Custers command in the note. Benteen said at the time and at the Court of Inquiry that Custer had not told him he intended to divide the command again so when Benteen came upon Reno and saw and heard the battle and Renos troops in full retreat across the river, he in fact thought it was Custer and the full command. He stated that if he had of arrived 10 min earlier and saw the fight with Reno in skirmish firing at the village, he would have crossed the river and joined him as he had no idea Custer had separated and thought Reno was in fact the tail or rear of the command and Custer was in the village. Also remember Benteen spoke to 2 messengers from Custer. The 1st was Sgt Knipe sent back to hurry the packs by Tom Custer. He ran into Benteen and told Benteen Custer had the Indians on the run and was kicking butt. Benteen sent him on to the pack train. When Martin rived with his message he told benteen they had caught the Indians asleep and they were skedaddling. Martins poor English made him mis interpret Custer saying they had caught the Indians napping. So as far as Benteen knew from 2 messengers, was that the Indians were running, and that they were whipping them. So again Benteen was not aware of any problem or urgency.
my understanding was that Benteen was pinned down and fighting a pitched battle with the indians who pursued the remainder of Reno's men who had retreated to him. he was unable to come to Custers aid for that reason
@Mactrip100 ok that makes sense, for me then the question turns on whether Benteen plus renos remnants would have been wiped out as well had they gone to Custers aid.
@Mactrip100 Another angle as to whether they would have all been slaughtered if Benteen did ride out to Custer was the number of indians. Ive seen estimates from 1500 to 7000. Given that Custer was enveloped and wiped out fairly quickly it may well have been a suicide mission rather than a rescue. although as you say benteen might have made a difference, hard to say now.
No the shooting was in fact heard by Benteen. Read the Reno Inquiry. Benteen gave evidence he heard firing BUT did not hear the 2 volleys spoken of. Many others also denied hearing Volleys. The times show that the firing was not Custer at all and would have been either The white horse skirmish set up near Ford B which the Indians confirmed, or would have been the 1st assault on Company C on the slopes of Keogh and Calhoun Hill. At the time you speak of when they heard the firing Benteen had just arrived at Reno Hill. At that time Custer was riding along the river towards Cemetery ridge area and was intent on finding a Ford to cross. Custer engaged no Indians until Cemetery Ridge 30 minutes later when unable to find a Ford. His only engagement was on Last stand hill when he dismounted. If you look properly then you will see that when Weir arrived at Weir point it was then they saw dust on Last Stand Hill. That was a good 40 minutes after Benteen arrived at Reno Hill. So u cant have it both ways. You say Benteen stopped at Reno Hill and say he ignored Custer being attacked then say Benteen sat 40 minutes and then Weir rode of and 10 minutes later reached Weir point and saw the final battle. Which is it? And you forget in the meantime Keogh and Calhoun also fought a pitched battle for 15 minutes so tell me . Which shooting would you like to say Benteen ignored? By the wa y. Weir didn't see Custer's last fight. He saw Keogh and Calhoun being wiped out. It was when Godfrey and Benteen and Reno etc started arriving at Weir Point 15 minutes after Weir arrived there that they saw the dust and the Indians firing on the ground. Go look at the official time lines of who was where at what times and what was happening. Benteen did not say he heard no firing at all. The volley fire spoken of was not Custer it was way before. Probably C company firing volley while in skirmish lines which we know Keogh and Calhoun set up. Custer never had a skirmish line at any time he was hit by Suicide boys on Cemetery ridge and rode up to LSH. The whole time from when he left Reno until LSH he stayed mounted as did his company. You cant fire volleys while mounted. I suggest Strategy of Defeat by Fred Wagner. Its a good start. You may learn a lot reading it.
This is the only video explained well enough for me to understand
PROBABLY my most favorite place IN THE WORLD. Seriously Hallowed ground…
Would love to visit battle ground. Cool video. Thank you
Very well done. It's good to know these monuments aren't being targeted by cancel culture, as we were so terribly wrong in what we did.
The natives actually practiced survival of the fittest. If a stronger tribe wanted youf hunting grounds, they took it. They were WARriors. They did not live in peace or they would not have had great warriors. The white man was a stronger tribe and beat them as was he way back then. Custor was going after the women and children in the hopes of capturing them and preventing a war. This is why the two parties were separated. One group was to keep the natives occupied while the other tried to capture those who didn't fight.
Very good video, greetings to you from Wales.
excellent!
Outstanding 😊
I like listening to this
Great tour!
Thank you - glad you enjoyed it!
Nice job. I must go there.
Loved the vid, thanks!
Very nice!
Loved IT! Cheers from Cali!
Thank you!
I apologise but that was a time for me to be kept there , I by no means will not say nothing about your trip there . I hope your spirit has been touched and I hope peace be with you all your day's.......
The reinactment is held in june 25 26 on the actual site ,, it's put on by the real bird family, it's a must , then you believe you saw the battle.
How many soldiers did General Terry have
The Guns of the Calvery were trerribe for this .
Single Shot ,shells stuck in the Gun when they got hot.
Nicely delivered basic review for a very complex and mysterious battle, especially the events leading up to it. I have read a number of detailed books and studied many of the facts and individuals in Custer's command. Still fascinated with different perspectives and reviews as you have done and taken the time to share your experiences.
Interesting, the last stand hill was a slaughter and over in ~10 minutes. Some even fled to Deep Revine where they were cut down. Many mistakes which can be partly due to the fact that the soldiers and horses were worn out, tired, and hungry from an all night and previous day march. Average age ~22. ~65% were foreign born from Europe and needed a job so joined the army. Many were in poor health as well.
Hi, Bob! Thank you for sharing your insight! It is a fascinating battle, and seeing the actual battlefield was a real treat. Seeing the physical space really helps to put the picture together, and the park employees to a great job too. Thanks again!
The 7th Cavalry had an average day's march on June 24th. They camped that afternoon; then, at around 8:00 pm, the regiment began a night march that lasted 4 - 5 hours. It was not an all night march. Once the night march was complete, the regiment found itself hidden in a small defile near the Crow's Nest, deep in the Wolf Mountains. Again, the regiment rested. In fact, Custer's initial plan was to rest his entire command at that spot all day, then attack the village at dawn the next day. Unfortunately, Custer had to change his plans once his scouts told him that, in all likelihood, wandering Sioux and Cheyenne hunting parties had spotted the regiment, and that he (Custer) should attack the village as soon as possible. Which he did.
In short, the soldiers and horses of the 7th Cavalry were not so worn out that fatigue would have been an issue during the battle, let alone be called a "mistake". A good estimate based on historical evidence shows maybe 3 - 6 horses giving out on the day of the battle. Three to six horses out of the entire 7th Cavalry Regiment, that's all. To be sure, the horses in Custer's command were not as well rested as the Indians' ponies were; nevertheless, they would have been had Custer been able to carry out his original plan of resting his regiment and attacking the village at dawn.
The men were hungry? Really? How do you know this? What, did they all run out of hardtack and rations? Did the supply train fall so far behind that the men couldn't get any food? According to you, hungry soldiers at the Little Bighorn was a mistake too, eh? Prove what you say with facts then maybe some of this crap you write will be believable.
Ó Ruairc M. Why make an issue out of this for this this nice video as if you were there? What are your facts? Every ride a horse? There are many opinions and speculation about the events. Your crap is no different than anyone else’s. Your reply was appreciated up to the point you attack me.
@@ramullen1 Issue is this - I speak truths and facts, and you speak opinions based upon what you think are facts. My "crap" is factual, most everyone else's crap is just that - crap.
@@Eadbhard You are forgetting it was a 15 mile trek in extreme heat from the Crows nest to the Big Horn valley over rough terrain. Those horses were hot and exhausted at the time of battle. So were the men.
We saw this. like go back see it again
Such a great place to visit, and we really loved Montana, especially as RVers. We hope to go back again too!
You are so happy 😁
7000 warriors is a ridiculous exaggeration. Contemporary accounts put it at 1500-2000 warriors.
she did not say that stupid she said 7000 men women children and 1,500 warriors
great account
great Job!
Thanks
If the Calvery had Winchester Rifles ,they would have survived maybe
I love it when ppl try to portray Custer as a victim of his own officers.
Very interesting
Yes, it really started to come together once we actually saw it. I definitely learned a lot more there than I remember from school!
Don't forget: Battle of te Rosebud against Gnl. Crook occured just 7 days before, about 30 or so miles to the south. The tribes here were already confident and alert. ruclips.net/video/suKOqWx6Dxw/видео.html
We (my wife) home-schooled our three kids they would have loved hearing this story the way you presented it. Your a natural. If you two decide someday to have children you will give your children a great education.
Thank you, that is very kind. I am actually a certified teacher. After Chris previewed this video for me before I published it, he said that students should be watching it to learn - ha ha, you two think alike. We would love to have children, but sadly it has not been possible for us. We still count our blessings and are grateful for what we have together. So glad you enjoyed the video!
I just knew you were a teacher, Jen. What grades did you teach? My pastor's wife is a teacher and she talks just like you in a sweet, calm, soothing voice. We had one child by birth and it almost killed me so we adopted a two year old girl. I was adopted so it was natural for me. It cost us nothing because she was past babyhood. Now between them they have 9 kids! If you would have told me that when they were teens I would have laughed hysterically! They are homeschooling in TN so I will tell them to let the kids see this video....that was a great idea!
You are so kind. I have taught high school and middle school and also done some adult classes. I am glad to hear you had a good experience with adoption, and so great that you now have 9 grandchildren!!! Thanks for all of your encouragement, it truly means so much to us.
there was three messages sent to benteen and reno sargeant foley was sent with the last message he was shot riding towards the reno position with the regimental guidon i think custer knew the end was near and didnt want the flag falling into their hands thats my take on it why send a message for reinforcements when it was all but over
Very nice and pleasant video. If a person really gets into it actually its a minority that think Custer blazed it out up on top-he was mortally wounded shot in the side of his chest among the first if not the first shot as they came down medicine tail coulee and reached the river. Chief John Grass did alot of the initial killing in the Custer part of the battle and witnessed Custer shot and he certainly was the "identifier" that spotted Custers body. Grass is virtually stricken from history and hidden because he mentioned about seeing the soldiers drinking whiskey which is politically incorrect to the whites to say that among other reasons. I have uploaded a couple videos on it. I may poke in the link but no desire to try to get hits just if someone is interested.
after the battle the indians had a huge meeting in a circle at the top of the highest hilltop overlooking the scene. The three Chiefs there as drawn by another important indian were Sitting Bull, Gall and Grass so Grass was a top chief of the battle. Grass is the one that met with Custer and smoked the pipe in the black hills. He promised not to attack them again but he did, so they poked out his ears to help him hear better in the afterlife. Later the indians resented Grass since he was to agreeable to the whites sort of like an "uncle Tom" so they also censured him and he became lost to history but its there if you search it out.
Other interesting points that Grass also pointed out before his death is that Gall and Crazy horse worked up as things were winding down many of them already killed.
WTF? When did Chief John Grass smoke a pipe in the Black Hills with Custer? More importantly, what was in the pipe you were smoking when you wrote this comment?!
Don't believe Custer and his staff ever advanced towards the village, think they remained at last stand hill to observe the battle and sent the rest of the columns toward the village, I don't think Custer would have charged with his brothers and nephews and the journalist.
I live very close about15 miles from there!,,
Oh, no! Sorry I missed you! I would have loved to been able to meet you. We are already in Oklahoma! We move so fast! Just so you know, I haven't forgotten, I am working on workout videos and a diet post.
+To Wander Freely Thank you so much, I am looking forward to your diet and exercise advice! We just returned from SD and seeing MT Rushmore and I just told my husband on the way home, we need to go see the Custer battlefield maybe next weekend. I enjoyed your video, I think it will help me understand it more now when we go!
So glad to hear that - you will definitely enjoy the visit to the battlefield. Try to see one of the ranger talks if you can, it was really excellent. We love South Dakota and the Black Hills. We spent some time there last year and hope to get back to there some day. Best wishes on your travels!
The assumption that Reno and Benteen abandoned Custer to his fate due to personal dislike of Custer is bullshit. The military doesn't work that way. The officers under Custer were still friends and associates of Reno and Benteen.... Duty was taken seriously, men would commit suicide if thought to be cowards. Reno and Benteen were not cowards, both had good war records. Custer himself was the most political and least professional solder of the three.... if anyone let personal feelings interfere with professional conduct, it was Custer....
Six months after the battle, Major Reno tried to hit on another officer's wife while that officer was away. Reno got dismissed from the Army for this. Fortunately for him, President Hayes reduced the dismissal to 2 years. But, in 1879, Reno, who was fond of drink, got in a fight with one of his subordinates. He also played "peeping-tom" and spied through the bedroom window of the regimental commander's (General Sturgis) daughter. For these reasons and more, Reno was booted out of the Army again - for good, this time. As for Benteen, in 1887 that querulous officer was busted for being drunk and disorderly while on duty. They were going to boot him out too, but Benteen wisely decided to retire before this happened. By the way, it's been recorded that Major Reno once admitted to his former editor that he was drunk during the Battle of the Little Bighorn. All of this, but you think Custer was the "least professional of the three". You're an idiot, Howard White.
@@Eadbhard fool.... custer faced similar accusations and even worse, you have no point...
@@howardwhite1507 You're a dullard, and you don't know crap. Go do some more research about this topic. Until you do that, don't send me any more of your factless, idiotic comments
@@Eadbhard PTSD?
@@Eadbhard 😂🤣😂🤣 Benteen was universally praised for his valuable service and bravery, which is not undone by a D & F. Your Whataboutism is pathetic.
meh...Benteen rightly or wrongly supported Reno's retreat. Custer pushed too far north cutting is own lines of communication and any hope of mutual support. The Natives attack of the Right wing...(Calhoun and Keough end up cutting off any chance for a South Retreat by Custer. Custer still had mobility to escape to the North....all be it separated from Reno and Benteen.
Yes I thought Benteen could maybe sent a company forward sooner to assess what was going on North (Northwest) of Weir point....maybe....allowing some relief to Calhoun hill from Native infiltration from that hill's south.
This was always going to be numbers game. Custer's hesitation when we figured out he didn't have enough Troops to capture the Women and Children (the leverage he needed to end the battle with a Victory)....and waiting on cemetery ridge for 20 mins while waiting for Benteen was the delay the Natives needed to mount the attack with overwhelming numbers.
Rejoining the Keough and Calhoun would basically mean failure of the Campaign as then Custer would being going from an Offensive to a Defensive posture. So he waited.....for more men to arrive on the field.....making himself and the Right wing (Keough and Calhoun) non mobile and ripe for Attack. He should have known better sooner.......and kept his lines of support open. It was only a matter of time until numbers of Natives was sufficient for an attack. The Noose tightened and the rest is history.
No, it was Major Reno's retreat that cut lines of communication and any hope of mutual support. Custer expected Reno to stay in the valley and keep the warriors busy while he maneuvered his battalion to the north. Had Reno stayed in the timber (which was the best protected place on the whole battlefield), both officers could have mutually supported each other by attacking the village from the south and north end. When Benteen's cantankerous ass finally arrived, Keogh - who was ordered to watch for him - would've told Benteen to take his battalion and strike the village at the middle.
In such a scenario, the village would've found itself in utter chaos and turmoil; and it would have played out like this: The first group of Bluecoats, the group that initially attacked the village (Reno), would remain in the woods to the south. They would advance and consolidate with the other Bluecoats if necessary, but they are guarding the south. As for the other Bluecoats, one group (Custer) suddenly attacks from the north, threatening the women, children and families there. And yet another group of Bluecoats ( Benteen) now fires upon the village in the middle. Thus do the warriors who are defending the village fast discover they are now dealing with three separate fires in three separate directions, instead of just one fire from one direction. And one of those fires is threatening their women and children. Confusion reigns, Custer captures some women and children, as warriors try to fend off soldiers from his battalion, and also men from Reno's and Benteen's battalions who are now advancing. In the end, it is over because the Indians capitulate. Custer wins the battle.
For all intent and purposes, Major Marcus Reno lost the Battle of the Little Bighorn when he retreated out of the timber, across the river, then up the bluffs. In that ill-advised retreat, he had almost 40% of his men killed. What is more, once Reno and his surviving men were finally in the bluffs overlooking the river, all the Indians were able to concentrate their efforts solely upon Custer's battalion. The Sioux and Cheyenne knew, by this time, that another group of soldiers were downriver. They knew this because Custer ordered some of his men to fire into the village from the Medicine Tail Coulee in order to take pressure off of Reno's beleaguered battalion. Having whipped Reno, the warriors' morale was sky high once they set their sights on Custer's sole battalion.
Conversely, when Reno's men took cover in the trees after first charging the Indian camp, the Native women began preparing things in order to flee and scatter. The Natives knew that, had Reno's battalion stayed in the valley, they would have had little hope of winning the battle, so they were preparing to flee. However, after Major Reno gave the Indians a gift by running out of the woods, the Sioux and Cheyenne knew a victory could be had. Reno's retreat was the pivotal part of the battle that changed everything. Had he stayed in the valley, within the cover and concealment of the heavy foliage of the timber, the Battle of the Little Bighorn would have had a different ending indeed.
@@Eadbhard Reno was expecting to be reinforced by the weight of the Regiment....Which Custer's orders to him suggested. That didn't happen. He also correctly stopped short of the Village thus making sure his battalion wasn't wiped out in quick order. The Indians, who were masters of concealment and encroachment would have surrounded, massed and overwhelmed Reno's men from that same foliage. Remember that the troopers main advantage was their superior effective range of their single shot rifles. In close quarters they were worthless as Custer's battalion soon found out. Sure, Reno's actual chaotic retreat vice orderly may have cost him more men......but it didn't determine the outcome of the battle.
Another point. Custer didn't need to send Benteen's Battalion on a scouting mission to cover Custer and Renos left flank or to look down the valley. A scouting party would have done just fine. Those orders to Benteen didn't allow his full battalion to support Reno at a critical time (real time mutal support).....or head north to stop Native infiltration at medicine tail coulee while Custer headed further north with too few men to finish the job with two of his own companies in rear guard. Furthermore....as I stated above....Custer allow his enemy to infiltrate at an obvious point BETWEEN his forces to the south...thus cutting off escape.
I honestly think that had Custer kept his whole force together....they either would have been completely wiped out or if they could have retreated to a better defensive vantage point in mass...they might have kept them at bay. I'd argue that the only reason the Reno/Benteen defensive position worked was because the Indians had achieve a major blood lust after wiping out Custer...and the day was coming to an end.
@@wf4919 Before Reno charged the village, not a few of his men saw Custer on the eastern bluffs waving his hat at them. Custer was making it known that he was nearby. As well, the reason the Indians didn't finish off Reno's men entirely was because of Custer's support. Custer was moving surreptitiously, trying to gain the surprise, but since Reno absent-mindedly retreated from the cover of the woods, Custer was forced to take pressure off of him by having some of his men fire into the village. By doing that, he drew all the Indians in on him. Lastly, Reno was a smart enough officer to realize that Custer was doubtless trying to gain an advantage at some other part of the village. He even admitted this some years after the battle when he said, ..."since I did not see him (Custer), I could, and did, presume he was attempting to get at some other part of the village"...or some words to that effect.
Here's the thing....from the time Reno first attacked the village, to the time he formed his skirmish lines, and up until the time he blindly retreated out of the cover from the timber, Reno had lost very few men. He lost Sergeant Miles O'Hara (the first soldier killed in the battle) in his initial attack, he had maybe one man killed on the skirmish lines, then Bloody Knife was killed whilst in the timber, but that's about it - minimal casualties.
The timber, the trees along the river, was an excellent defensive spot, and Major Reno and his men could (should ) have remained there long enough for Custer and Benteen to enter into the fray. The Sioux warriors could not get to Reno's men while they were in the timber. Why do you think they tried to burn them out? The Sioux warriors hoped a fire would smoke Reno's men out into the open; as such, they tried to set the woods afire. Unfortunately for them, the foliage was too lush and green; it wouldn't catch fire. So the warriors were in a quandary. They didn't know what to do. Indian warriors, by nature, are loathe to engage an enemy who is well-armed and well-protected. In such a battle, the loss of life incurred amongst their fellow tribesmen is too great a risk. By moving his battalion into the timber, Reno unknowingly placed himself at an advantage. But, as fate would have it, Reno suddenly gave the Native warriors an inexplicable gift - he retreated. Once he heard the shout to retreat, one of Reno's white scouts was heard to say, "What kind of damn fool move is this?" And it was a damnably fool move. Reno had nearly all of his KIA's in that retreat. As any Indian fighter of this period well knew....you don't turn your back and run while fighting Indians. Reno did just that; and, as a result, he now had 35 - 40 soldiers dead.
Because he made the foolish mistake of retreating, Reno was essentially out of the picture. His battalion could no longer support the battalion he initially accused of not supporting his own. At this point, even if he didn't know it yet, Custer could no longer rely upon any kind of support from the southern portion of the village. Had Reno maintained his position, the Indians would have had threats on 3 different fronts once Benteeen arrived. Then, if Custer started to go after the women and children, many of the warriors would have gone straight after him, thus leaving Reno's battalion to do whatever it took to help Custer along with his task.
Benteen's reconnaissance to the left was wholly necessary. Custer had no chance to do a reconnaissance before the battle, so he sent Benteen out as a reconnaissance-in-force. Custer learned his lessons well while at the Washita. During the Battle of the Wasita, Custer rubbed out one village; however, after the battle, he discovered there were many other Indian camps along the Washita. In fact, there were more Indians gathered on the Washita than there were at the Little Bighorn. Custer just wanted to be sure there were no other tribes or Indian camps within the vicinity of the camp they were going to attack, that's all. He totally expected Captain Benteen to consolidate with the rest of the regiment once his scout to the left was completed. The reason Custer sent Benteen's entire battalion instead of just scouts is simple - he obviously wanted some firepower out there in case they pitched into anything. Besides, as I have mentioned, Custer totally expected Benteen to be present once the attack on the village began. Unfortunately, Benteeen dawdled, and his slow pace is well-documented. Even after he received Custer's urgent orders to be quick, Benteen still moved with no celerity.
Lastly, had Reno stayed in the timber where he could have held out for a reasonably long time, Benteen would have had no need to stop and assist Reno's battered battalion - he could have gone straight to Custer. Reno would have never incurred the amount of casualties he suffered had he just stayed in the timber and not retreated. As the Indians noted, once Reno's men fled out of the timber, it became "like a buffalo hunt".
@@Eadbhard I'm not saying the way Reno retreated was bad. I"m saying even if he had stayed....he was effectively neutralized. The Indians had enough man power to turn Reno's flank and for a retreat into the woods. It was his only option given mounting Indian numbers to his rear. Had he waited even longer in the woods he would have been surrounded...that is not debatable. Cutting any form of retreat if he wasn't relieved by someone else. Maybe Reno could have held out long enough for Custer's feint or Benteen to arrive....but given the overwhelming numbers at least 5 to 1 it was only a matter of time. If not Reno...then Custer (as it happened on open terrain more well suited to longer range engagement of the accurate but single shot springfields). As we saw what happened (what we think happened) Once an offensively minded Calvary is neutralized demobilized and on the defensive.....tactically they are not worth much against an overwhelming enemy force. Reno's actions saved his battalion in the end. As we saw in the North with Custer.....the Indians moved to infiltrate to close the range ...than sprang assaults with overwhelming numbers causing breakdowns and disintegration of units (fight or flight human nature instinct).
Reno's limited options ..given he was currently being surrounded by an overwhelming force with no sign of reinforcement from either Custer or Benteen....was to stay put in the woods, which was a better tactical defensive position than the prairie he had just retreated from...and hope reinforcements would come.....or to retreat in the only direction he could before being surrounded and in the general direction of last known mutual support. Reno's retreat from the woods was not orderly....more like chaos for which he has been rightly or wrongly shamed for. His lack of Leadership on Reno hill is also noted..probably given the shock of the retreat. But he his biggest error might have been to retreat sooner. Just my thought.
Eveyone keeps trying to Pin the lost on the battle on Reno and to a lesser degree Benteen. Remember....Custer couldn't even keep mutual support between his wings let alone his battalions....as an offensively minded General he was. His failure to assess the gravity of the situation in real time and adjust his tactics and positioning accordingly led to his annihilation. Waiting for someone to arrive to help and not being in a position to support the right wing defensively shows how swiftly the Indian assault was.......and an underestimation of the precariousness of the situation. Reno on the other hand had at least assessed the situation for what it was and acted accordingly.
@@wf4919 Reno's battalion would not have been "effectively neutralized" had it stayed in the timber. As soon as the warriors of the village learned there were more Bluecoats downriver, they would have left Reno and his men in the woods in order to concentrate on the new threat to the north. What "effectively neutralized" Reno's battalion was the loss of 40 men killed. While discussing the Battle of the Little Bighorn, one has to stick with what is factual, and it is the facts that form the basis of any kind of hypothesis. So let's discuss the facts, shall we? That being said, I'm going to repeat some facts, because it seems to me you are oblivious to them, and would rather base all of your presumptions on guess and by gosh, your own opinions, and your own personal biases.
FACT: In order to draw Reno and his men out of the woods, Sioux warriors tried to light the timber on fire. Why would they do this? They wanted to draw the soldiers out because it was too difficult to get at them when they (the soldiers) were hunkering down behind trees in the timber, that's why. You go on and on about tactics, and how Indians were "masters of concealment", and how the U.S. Cavalry is "neutralized demobilized" while on the defensive, with all your fancy 'Z' words, but you won't give in to the fact that the Indians had to resort to trying to burn the timber down in order to get at Reno's men. While on the topic, how do you account for this - throughout the course of the Indian Wars on the Great Plains, not a few times did a small detachment of well-covered, well-armed white men successfully fend themselves against hundreds upon hundreds of hostile Indian warriors. The Wagon Box fight, the Battle of Beecher Island, and the Battle of Adobe Walls, are just a few examples of this. What is more, renowned historian Robert Utley once wrote:
"Indians fought as individuals, each pursuing his own aims and instincts, not as organized, disciplined, bodies obedient to the orders of a leader. Because of this style of combat, small disciplined teams of mediocre soldiers could hope, in favorable circumstances, to overwhelm large but undisciplined masses of individually superior warriors".
(Assumption from fact): The timber was Reno's best course of action, Reno could have had held out in the timber for a long time, Reno and Custer could have offered each other mutual support had Reno but stayed in the timber.
FACT: Reno suffered minimal casualties while in the timber. Bloody Knife, the scout, was shot and killed but - at that time - Bloody Knife, Major Reno, and a maybe a few others were not directly in the woods, they were on the edge of the timberline. Bloody Knife, more than likely, was but one of very few men killed in the timber.
FACT: Reno suffered nearly 40 men killed in his retreat out of timber, across the river, and into the bluffs east of the river.
FACT: Major Marcus Reno was drunk during the battle. Many soldiers' testimonies reported that Reno was drunk the entire time, but this could be taken with a grain of salt. However, years after the battle and long after he got kicked out of the Army, Reno confessed to his personal editor that he was drunk when he initially attacked the Indian village at the Little Bighorn. This would explain some of his decisions and behaviors that day.
FACT: Custer sent Captain Yates' company to demonstrate at the Medicine Tail Coulee. At the Ford, Yates and his men fired into the northern end of the village. Yates' demonstration worked; it drew the Indians from Reno, but Reno was retreating and Benteen was dawdling, and Custer was soon in trouble.
(Assumption from fact): Reno could have easily waited for Custer in the timber. He could have supported him (Custer) without retreating and losing 40 of his men. If such a scenario played out, the Indians would have found themselves trying to put out two fires instead of just one...and Benteen was coming also..three fires. And one of those fires (Custer) would soon be threatening the women and children.
A then Lieutenant Edward Godfrey interviewed many Indians after the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Over the years, General Godfrey compiled a list of journals based upon these interviews, and in one of them, he wrote this:
"The Indians say if Reno's position in the valley had been held, they would have been compelled to divide their strength for the different attacks, which would have caused confusion and apprehension, and prevented the concentration of every able-bodied warrior upon the battalion under Custer; that at the time of the discovery of Custer's advance to attack, the chiefs gave orders for the village to move, to break up; that at the time of Reno's retreat, this order was being carried out, but as soon as Reno's retreat was assured, the order was countermanded, and the squaws were compelled to return to the pony herds, that the order would not have been countermanded had Reno's forces remained fighting in the bottom".
America's own Teutoburg Forest disaster.
Last stand hill is mislabeled. That is not where the fighting ended. A group broke off from last stand hill and made a run for it and were killed in a deep ravine.
It was not a battle. It was a route
They shot their horses, not just to make a wall, but to deny the enemy horses for future attacks on the other soldiers (they knew that the Indians would take them after their deaths). That’s desperation.
Can I Please Correct Custer Never Could See The Camp Because The Smoke From The Morning Camp Fires From The Camp Covered The Camp Like A Blanket And He Repeated To His Scouts I Dont See It The Scouts Told Custer Look Worms In The Grass On The Far Side Of The Camp There Were 20,000 Horses And Thats What The Scouts Were Using An Example Of Worms In The Grass Custer Never Could See The Camp If He Had He Would Maybe Waited For General Terry And Gibbon For Reinforcement Knowing That The Village Wasn't Going Run Away And Made a More Better Decision
You forget that Custer and his scouts rightfully assumed that the regiment was spotted by wandering hunting parties from the village. It was the morning of June 25th. The Terry/Gibbon column would not arrive at the Little Bighorn for another two days. What decision do you think Custer should have made? Wait for 2 days, knowing full well that 2000 warriors in the village were aware of his presence?
video audio out of sync; but great video...
Please visit the 25 women memorial shot in the beginning of the Custer battle if it's up yet?
There was really no last stand hill.
Its the end of the ridge not a hill on its own but it was the immediate high ground just at the end. Hill is a fairly accurate description
Daryl LeBeau Where Custer's body was found has been called "last stand hill" since July of 1876, the month after the battle, so semantics aside, the name has stuck. It was certainly the last stand for the 40 bodies found there, including Custer's.
@@bustedford It was a hill, a knoll - more like. This is evident in photos taken 3 years after the battle. In order to build the road and monument, they did have to cut into this knoll. Too, 150 years of ice, thaw, and erosion also shortened what used to be a prominent hill.
Hot chicks and History... Hells yeah
Crazy horse was Cheyenne
Jessie James History says you're wrong
No Oglala band of the Sioux nation.
Remember there was not one person past weir point that survived.everything past weir point is from the indians.there are thousands of books written and all
From Indian interviews.Reno and Bentsen never got past weir point.everything is from the indians interviews as to what happened at medicine tail coolee,Calhoun hill and the last stand hill.
It is a great place to stop and close your eyes and
imagine the battle.I live in Buffalo wyoming,originally from philly, and always stop when in the area.
always stop when I am in the area
7000 what? Warriors? There was not more than 2000. Get your facts together.
7000 total souls with 1500-2000 fighting men.
Whoa! Who's telling this story!
Really? A white woman speaking about something she knows nothing about? All of this is false the Cheyennes had 18 suicide warriors, it was all calculated~ don't look to the Sioux. Let me ask you this...why is it that the Cheyenne women stuck Al's in both of his ears? Because they wanted him to listen in the Afterlife. Why? Because he made a promise to the Cheyennes to Never Kill another Cheyenne. Why the women? Because this filthy person was too unclean for the dog soldiers to touch. The saying around the fort goes like this: (repeat in your mind) the "Siouxs got the glory the crows got the land and the Cheyennes did the fighting." Time to get this right. For real. It was said among the Holy men to not mention it for 100 years. This was so that our children's children could survive otherwise it was certain death. Sitting Bull joined the wild west show with Buffalo bill (the person involved in the mass destruction of the buffalo). A disgrace.
So now you know the rest of the story. Look it up it was in new York times in 2004 Google it. The old ones said: "The battle took as long as it takes for a hungry man to eat his dinner."
Always ... always .... always show where the North is. Even your map does not show North.
North is to the left.
The fact that Custer used women and children as hostages and human shields during his battles with Natives was despicable, in itself. That is something the United States now decries when other countries use this tactic during conflict. President Grant himself criticized Custer's reckless actions at Little Bighorn. But, he wasn't the only one at fault. Egos on the part of the generals helped the Calvary meet their demise. The Natives new the land and how to fight on the land. That was huge to their advantage. The United States and Native Indians had a treaty. An agreement the Indians would own the black hills area of the territory. But, when gold was discovered in those black hills, greed allowed the United States to dishonor this treaty. They allowed settlers to go into the land to get rich quick. Then, the U.S. government decided it was time to remove the Indians from their land. The natives were protecting what rightfully belonged to them. They were being invaded.
Do you even know how the Sioux came to "own" the Black HIlls?? By taking it by force from the tribes who were there already! The Crow and Arikara tribes, who the Sioux killed and drove off. Why do you think Custer had Crow and Arikara scouts??? Because they hated the Sioux, that's why. With good reason.
Follow the arrows yeah...🙄
Sitting Bull - “he would have went…”.
Is there an English language version of this video?